


The Price of Peace

by GoodGrief



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), Post-Pacifist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 11:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 76,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8011501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodGrief/pseuds/GoodGrief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Crownquest. Summary is included.</p><p>4 years has passed since Asriels crownquest and Frisks rebirth. Asriel, now working as an adviser to his father, is slowly preparing for the day he will take the throne, working in the rough political climate.</p><p>However, when a large group  of monsters disappears from a human city, monsterkinds last hope of ever reaching a true peace is put in jeopardy. Asriel, alongside his friends, are suddenly thrust into a conspiracy that could determine not just his peoples future, but perhaps the whole worlds</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summary

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Welcome to the sequel to Crownquest, my first ever fanfic!
> 
> I've decided to switch things up a bit. While this will still be an Asriel centered story, it will have have more focus on other characters, such as Frisk and an, as-of-yet, unnamed OC.
> 
> Also, it will include... *gulp* smut! What can i say, it's a day of many first. I know some people might not be into that, but fret not! I will clearly mark when and whenever any smut starts or ends when we get to it, and it WILL NOT be an important part of the story... i think.
> 
> Lastly, there's a few important details from the last story that plays a role in this one. If you haven't read it, or just want a refresher, here follows a summary.
> 
> If you have read or don't care (I won't judge either way :)) then you can safely click next chapter!

The story of Crownquest starts a few months after the shattering of The Barrier.

 

Asriel, having been granted a second chance at life by Frisks soul, something which cost them their life, hasn't been doing so well. Plagued by guilt, as he is, of his actions as Flowey, as well as his parents break-up. On top of that, the friends Frisk made on their journey, sans, Papyrus, Undyne and others, while not spiteful of Asriel, are all disappointed at having lost their savior in return for a kid whick most of them have never even heard of before.

 

After a bad day at school, in which Asriel unintentionally sets fire to another student vi his magic, he reaches a low point. So low he briefly considers suicide, so low that it awakens the dormant personalities of Flowey and Frisk withing his soul.

 

Fearing that her son is losing hope, and afraid of what it might do to him, Toriel arranges a fake crownquest; an ancient tradition used to determine whether or not a king or queen to be is worthy of the crown, in an attempt to boost Asriels self-esteem. To prepare Asriel for the crownquest, he is taken under Undynes wing, where he, under her tutelage and with the help of the human soul inside him, learns to fight and defend himself.

 

Asriel, still unaware of the crownquest being planned for him, begins his adventure the day after his 18th birthday, finding a ransom letter in the living room, demanding him to go to the island of Los Suenos, the former surface capital of monsters.

 

Meanwhile, Toriel, Asgore and co. Has been captured by an ancient enemy lying in wait and used as bait, suddenly turning the fake crownquest into a real one.

 

Arriving on Los Suenos via boat, alongside Monster Kid, who decided to tag along, Asriel faces many challenges; the vilification of him by his own people, a 2-on-1 fist fight inside a burning hotel building and even a nighttime ambush by a ninja.

 

Finally managing to track the kidnappers down to the old ruined palace of monsters, Asriel discovers the old king of all humans as the culprit, kept alive throughout the years by virtue of having the boss monster soul of Asriels grandfather inside him. The king reveals his plan to fuse his Human/Monster soul, and Asriels Monster/Human soul, in order to create the perfect being. A being with all the strengths and none of the weaknesses of either race. He even reveals a female copy of Frisks body he has made using magic, intending to use it as a mother for the new race.

 

Asriel fights the old human king in order to stop him, but quickly finds himself outmatched. In order to save himself and everyone he loves, he is forced to absorb the latent determination of both Frisk and Flowey, transforming him into a near god, and almost killing him in the process. But in so doing, Flowey manages to corrupt his mind.

 

Drunk with power, and uncaring of the monstrous acts he commits, Asriel almost tears the old human king to bloody shreds with his friends and family watching, only realizing his brutality and blood-lust a hairs breath away from outright killing the human.

 

Frisk, realizing that Asriel needs more help with his inner problems than they can give from within his soul, departs his body, inhabiting the one the old human king had made.

 

Asriel, now a regular boss monster without the power of a human soul, engages in a last struggle with the old human king. He manages to split the humans soul, freeing his grandfather from years of imprisonment.

 

However, the old human, in a last act of defiance, manages to inject his soul inside Frisks body as well, before finally expiring.

 

Freeing his friends and family from their cages, the group escape the island via the old royal flagship hidden beneath the palace.

 

However, when they arrive back home, they realize the crownquest have had far wider reaching consequences than anyone could have imagined.

 


	2. 4 Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! First real chapter!
> 
> Please let me know what you think so far. I know there's a lot of background stuff being done here, but I promise, it WILL pick up soon :)

The room was a blur, as was the howling and shouting that filled it. Try as he might, Asriel, standing behind a speakers podium on top of a concert stage, couldn't for the life of him remember what had happened. His position taken into mind, he must have just delivered a speech, but why couldn't he remember anything? What he had said, how he had got there and why everything was so blurry?

Or why the assembled mass of monsters down below him was so outraged?

" _YOU'RE USELESS, DREEMURR! USELESS!"_

" _WHAT KIND OF BALLONEY GARBAGE WAS THAT!?"_

" _HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US!?"_

" _DOWN WITH THE ROYALS! DOWN WITH THE DREEMURS!"_

Asriel grabbed the podium tighter, as much to steady himself, as to keep himself from fainting at the sheer horror of it all. Judging from the gargantuan chantelier hanging over the crowd, as well as the richly-detailed and beautiful tapestries on the walls, they were inside the royal theater hall, used as much for political rallies and speeches as it were for entertainment. Not that the familiar locale brought him any comfort from the spectacle before him.

His heart sank even further, as he finally managed to pick out a few familiar faces amongst the screaming, blurry mass of monsterkind. Undyne, his trainer and mentor, was down there as well, joining in on the verbal abuse thrown at him, angrily hollering and shaking her fist. Alphys was making a half-hearted attempt at holding her back, but even the usually placid and timid lizard was glaring daggers into him as she did so.

Sans stood leaned against a wall on the far side of the concert hall, his usual smug grin turned into a disappointed frown. At his side, Papyrus was, for the first time in his life perhaps, face-palming at the expense of someone else.

Asriel felt his knees buckle and tears starting to build up. He had no idea what he had done, but it was obviously something horrible. His face fell.

" _Someone, help me..."_ He tried to shout, but all that came out was a tear-choked whisper.

" _We will help you no more"_ A familiar, and devastatingly cold voice responded.

Asriel raised his head slowly, not believing the words and the implications they held.

But there she stood; on a balcony overlooking the concert hall. His mother; looking down at him with a disapproving glare, and beside her, his father, the king, likewise scowling angrily down at him. Utterly alien expressions on their usually warm and friendly faces.

Despite the great distance between them, and the howling cacophony of the angered group of monsters, he heard them clear as day, as if they were speaking to his very soul.

" _I see now. My son truly did die on that fateful day in the royal gardens._ _ **You**_ _are nothing more than a pretender - a disgrace to his memory and_ _not worthy of our family name"_ Toriel said cold and quietly, before turning around and walking away, disappearing from view into the darkness beyond.

Asriel weakly reached a paw out to her, feeling emptier than he ever had, even when he had been a flower. His heart raced as he vainly tried to comprehend what she had said.

" _Mom! No, don't leave me!"_

In response, his father took a step forward, the whole balcony shaking under his weight, the same way Asriel shook under his words.

" _I would rather kill you than have you claim the throne! That we share dust is a shame I will carry with me to my grave. Know this, cretin; you are no longer our son!"_ Asgore snarled angrily, before likewise turning around and disappearing.

Out of his shadow, their savior, **his** savior appeared.

Frisk...

No, it wasn't Frisk right now, not at this moment. Her eyes were more open than usual, and her mouth twisted into a cruel, amused grin. Lightly, she steeped forward, grabbing the balcony railing with one hand and reaching out with the other. For a few, tense moments she just held it there, as if dangling the key to end this nightmare within it.

Then, slowly, she turned it, ending in her flashing him a thumbs down from atop her alcove.

" _Told you I'd see you soon,_ _idiot!"_ She snickered in a sickeningly sweet voice not wholly her own. He knew what it meant; Frisk, the real one, would never do something like this; it could only mean... that she had lost the battle for her soul, been consumed, displaced...

Down on the stage, Asriel was becoming undone. He couldn't think straight, his ears were filled with part white noise, part howling insults thrown at him, as his mind and soul reeled.

This was it. He still had no idea what he had said or done, but the results of his actions were readily apparent all around him; his people hated him, his friends had abandoned had him, his parents had disowned him and perhaps worst of all, Frisk was gone. There was nothing left. He was nothing.

A group of furious monsters clambered onto the stage, still howling obscenities at him. They closed in; hands curled into fists, claws unsheathed and appendages raised ready to strike him down. The urge to defend himself, gained from the countless hours he had spent training with Undyne came to the fore, but he didn't heed it. Whatever he had done, he deserved this.

The least he could do was to look them in the eye, even as he saw a gnarled, scaled fist curl up and head straight for his face.

* * *

.

That was the last thing he saw before he finally woke up with a scared bleat, knocking a variety of office supplies off his desk as his flailed wildly for a second. He took a minute to compose himself. He was back in his office in the City Hall of Ebott City, (formerly Ebott Village). His heart was still racing, and his knees still felt like jelly. Raising a paw to his face revealed that the tears had also been real, as he felt wet trails on his fur. The digital clock on his desk flashed 01:00 in the night, and the darkness of the room attested to it being dark outside. He had gotten a few hours of sleep at least.

A few hours of unintended, horrible, nightmare-riddled sleep!

He angrily slammed a fist onto his desk, scattering an innocent stack of papers to the wind. He was 22 now, and yet he still had childish nightmares! True, they didn't revolve around his past as Flowey any longer, but instead preyed at his insecurities and fears. He knew it wouldn't be many years before he would take his fathers place at the throne, and truthfully, the thought terrified him.

Yet he seriously doubted he would ever end up in a situation such as the one in his dream, so why was his mind going out of it's way to torment him so?

" _Golly! Even I have to admit. that one suuuuucked! I almost felt bad for you... almost"_ Flowey snickered from within his head.

Asriel sighed. Even after all these years, Flowey was still there. Frisk had removed his ability to try and take his body, but he was still a nagging little devil on his shoulder. Still, even he could at times be decent company.

" _Yeah... Gosh, I don't get it! Why can't I ever have good dreams? It's either nothing or my worst nightmares coming to life!"_ Asriel said dejectedly, slumping his paws unto his lap.

" _Heh, well, guess that makes you a "bad dreemuur" then, huh?"_ The flower answered and chuckled.

" _... You've been hanging out with sans too much"_

" _So have you. But seriously, fluffy butt, we're tired, dont'cha think it's time to turn in?"_

Asriel looked over his desk once more. He was used to working late, but not this late. About a year ago, he had started working as a kind of adviser to his father. Every time a new proposal, claim, lawsuit or law was placed upon monsterkind, they would first be handed to Asriels desk. He would then go trough it, writing down his opinion on what they should do about it; such as making a counter-proposal, search for a loophole or perhaps even try to protest, if it was especially bad or idiotic. When he had shared his thoughts and opinions, the paper would be sent to his father, who would have a final say in the matter, and decide what should be done. It was a nice enough system; it took some of the workload off of his father, and it served to ease Asriel into the political game, without involving him directly into the decision making.

And yet, all the paperwork that cluttered his desk, and now his floor, were but mere symptoms of the real cause behind the slow going of monster rights in the world.

"The Suits"

A term he and his father had made for those humans in slick, black suits that sent them these things in the first place. After The Barrier had first been breached, humanity had been quick to adapt them into society. Some rights and laws had to be discussed, but all in all, it was a dream come true for most monsters. They had been able to walk the streets in human cities without fear and many human pro-monster organizations had been formed to champion their cause.

Then had come the time of his crownquest.

His father, amongst others, had been kidnapped, and even though he had officially taken a day off to help with the crownquest, he had still been unreachable by the human government. For a time, it was believed that a coup had taken place within their city. In response, Ebott Village had been surrounded by the human military. Luckily, they had been able to avert any serious incidents, but the damage had been done. When trying to explain where he had been, Asgore had simply said he had been on a short vacation with his family, and had forgotten his phone. They had believed him, for better or worse. In the following days, after an official report had been made, the monarchy had been harshly criticized for not taking the political climate seriously, and some had even called them a "rogue element"

Asriel's own actions during the crownquest didn't help either.

News quickly spread that The Prince of Monsters had violently assaulted a man on a cruise ship, been involved in the bombing of a hotel building on Los Suenos, vandalism in another and caused damage to a World Heritage Site; the old monster palace.

No charges had been pressed as nothing could be proved, but the rumors in themselves had done enough. Asriel's almost celebrity-like reputation amongst monsters had taken a dive.

All in all, the human government had more than enough reason to tighten the noose around the little boil that was festering in their backyard. "The Suits" consisted of the politicians and, even worse, the lobbyist that did everything in their power to keep monsters and humans separated. Before long, Ebott City, as it was now called since it had grown too big to be called a village anymore, had been surrounded by military checkpoints and barbed wire – they could not leave.

The lobbyists were especially bad. As Asriel had quickly found out, corporations and business had a big influence in the human government, and for most, monsters were bad for business.

Who would want to buy medicine from the pharmaceutical companies, when healing magic was much faster and cheaper?

Who would want to buy regular food, when monster food could do the same, without the trouble of having to expel it later?

Complete nonsene, Asriel thought. Human food, like the humans themselves, seemed to consist of more physical matter than their monster equivalent, which meant that it just flat out tasted better, even if it didn't dissolve into magic when ingested. Monster food would prevent hunger, but it was never filling or satiating. Human food was, although it did leave one with one with the trouble of having to go to the toilet afterwards. Tasting it for the first time had been a big shock to the dormant digestive systems of many monsters when they had reached the surface, Asriel remembered with a shudder.

 _"Ahh, happy memories"_ Flowey concurred inside his head

Still, it wasn't a coincidence that the snail pie he had ever tasted, was one his mother had made shortly after he had broken the barrier.

Nevertheless, that was the state of things. The human government had decided that all monsters would have to be kept in a reserve, "For their own protection" of course, with no chance of leaving, until a _"_ _complete and detailed understanding of monsters mental, spiritual and physical anatomy"_ had been written, and a _"_ _Cordial arrangement of unique monster rights and laws"_ could be agreed on. Of course, with the current speed of things, that wouldn't happen before the turn of the next millennium. On top of that were a heap of other excuses; what if monsters carried any unknown and contagious diseases? What if magic was actually some kind of radioactive force? A few of the more radical human politicians had even claimed, that having anthropomorphic, intelligent "animals" running around would provoke _"_ _outbreaks of sexual deviancy in the lords flock!"_ luckily, event amongst the human government, those radicals were rarely taken seriously.

And for good reason, Asriel thought. Monsters and humans had lived side-by-side together before without any complications, and what was so wrong about human-monster relationships? There had been a few of those before his crownquest.

As his eyes fell on the paper lying in the center of his desk, he was reminded of just how furious these obstinate "suits" made him.

It was a proposal to a law, that claimed that monsters with fangs longer than 8 cm should not be allowed to come within 30 meters of any kind of childcare institution, without explicit arrangement with said institution, for fear of frightening the children and "mentally scarring them", with the exception on holidays. Furthermore, any arrangement would have to be made under the specifications outlined in document 6875b/EC, and must not, under any circumstances, conflict with Resolution 21B, unless a form M-48 had been signed and delivered to the local authorities, in triplicate.

Asriel scowled as he re-read it. Today it was fanged monsters, next week it would probably be clawed ones! They had already broken one barrier, only to have another one literately build up around them!

He angrily crunched the document into a ball, and threw it into his paper bin. It took almost all his willpower to not immediately light it up with a burst of fire magic.

" _Woah, what got you so riled up?"_ Flowey asked from within.

Asriel closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, allowing the motions to calm him down. It was infuriating that his people had to be caged and contained as if they were nothing more than wild beasts, all because a few suits feared for their wallets. There were a lot of sympathetic humans still fighting for their release, but it had been 8 years now, and many had simply moved on with their lives. He wasn't king yet, but he still felt like everyday that passed without coming closer to lifting the ban on leaving, was a day he failed his people.

Still, all Asriel needed to remind himself of the grace and nobility all humans were more than capable of, was to look at the 2 picture frames situated beneath his desk-lamp. One was an old black and white picture of Chara; his childhood friend. A reminder that even seemingly hateful humans could still be capable of great love and compassion. The other one was a new picture of Frisk, his savior and more recently, his adoptive sister. In between stood a small wooden box, in which a gold, heart-shaped pendant laid socketed. The small curio was flanked to the right by a small, shinning glass sphere, containing a small amount of dust.

Monster Kid's dust...

How he still wished that had ended differently...

Asriel sighed, feeling his heart easing at the sight of them all. He reached into a desk-drawer and retrieved a jar of cinnamon-coated snails, feeling calmness descend and frustration lessen as he snacked on a few. He would have to fish the document out of his bin later; despite the idiocy on it, it was still an "important" diplomatic piece of paper, and there would be nothing but trouble if it got lost.

But that was a task for tomorrow, he thought, as he stretched and yawned. For now, not even a political catastrophe would keep him from his bed.

* * *

.

" _I'm going home, Miss Muffet, you can- oh,"_ Asriel said as he left his office. Muffet served as a combined secretary for both him and his father, the king. He had, at first, been slightly unnerved by the somewhat creepy spider lady, but there was no denying her efficiency. With her 6 arms, she could organize documents and letters better than anyone else, and her small army of spiders kept the whole building tidy and clean. The pastries she always brought into work were a plus as well; while they weren't as good as the one's his mother made, they were still delicious. There was even a rumor going around that she kept a hidden bakery somewhere in the city, but so far, no one had been able to find it.

And of course, she had already left. At least someone here was able to follow a schedule.

He continued onwards, trough the corridors of city hall, glancing at the rows of panoramic portraits of forested valleys, snow-topped mountains and glistening, cerulean blue seas, all infused with magic that animated them; the trees were moving in the breeze, snow was falling, and large, oceanic creatures could be seen moving just below the surface. For monsters, it was important to maintain a positive outlook on life, lest one "fall down" and his father had nothing if not a good sense of aesthetics that helped do just that, the beautiful, soothing paintings almost feeling like portals into other worlds.

It was still nothing compared to the floral masterpieces of gardening that surrounded the City Hall. Sometimes it was like his father had missed his true calling.

* * *

.

The night air outside was comfortably warm, well-suited for the early summer season, and Asriel took it all in; standing still and taking a deep breath, letting the fresh air cleanse any lingering frustrations and anger within him.

The City Hall of Ebott City was a comparatively new thing, built more out of sense of indirect enforcement than want. After their downfall in the wake of the crownquest, Asgore had feared that them ruling from a castle might appear a bit too presumptuous and arrogant, and had thus scaled it down to a modest office building, just like in most human cities.

Last he heard, Mettaton was using the old castle as a backdrop for a movie about a medieval court-bot coming back to fashionable un-life to enact brutal, but glamorous vengeance.

Asriel laughed quietly at the thought; he'd have to invite Frisk out to the cinema once it was done.

He had a car now; a Chevrolet Chevelle 1970 convertible, one he had gotten from his dad for his 20th birthday. The route to and from work was only a few short kilometers, and usually he'd just leg it, but he had always found something pleasant in sitting in a car, alone, listening to old 70'ies and 80'ies music. Driving in his car, all alone, with the powerful beats of Rolling Stones, Queen and others, singing about anything in general, filling the cabin was somewhat of a guilty pleasure, he had come to realize

The sheer thought alone was enough to make him grin in anticipation, as he fastened his seat-belt, put the car in reverse, and backed out of City Hall's parking lot.

* * *

.

Back at the Dreemurr Household, Frisk was in a conflicted state of emotions as well. In her dreams, she saw herself overlooking a great army of sword and axe-wielding humans besieging a monster settlement, burning and looting as they went. Quite often, she spotted some of her men disobeying orders, refusing to slay an unarmed civilian monster. Cruel taskmasters would step in then, shouting at the reluctant soldiers, promising them pain and agony if they did not dust the monster on the spot. If they still refused, the taskmasters would do the grizzly deed themselves, before having the disobedient renegades clasped in iron, and carried off to a no doubt horrible fate.

She watched all of this, and felt pride. The kind of pride one gets from watching a plan of one's own making coming to fruition.

Yet the Frisk that was sleeping on the 2nd floor of the Dreemurr household felt anything but pride. Disgust, horror and agony instead filled the quivering, shaking girl.

" _NO, STOP!"_ She shouted, as she suddenly burst into wakefulness, sitting bolt upright in her bed

Almost immediately, fear turned to anger. She quickly saw and felt all the symptoms of another bad nightmare; it was night, her heart was racing, her nightgown, as well as her bed linen was drenched in sweat. But worst of all was that tiny voice inside her that laughed. It was one that felt wholly alien, yet was undeniably a part of her.

She hated herself for it; ever since she had been taken in by the Dreemurrs, she had been treated with nothing but love, kindness and warmth, yet some dark part of her soul still found great pleasure in watching monsters get slaughtered, apparently,

She sighed, letting her frustration exit trough her mouth as she did. Her clock revealed 1:31, still more than enough time to get a good nights sleep. Yet she was wide awake now, and scooting back under the now-sweaty covers didn't appeal that much to her. She might as well get a glass of water and fresh air.

* * *

.

As she gently snuck down the dark hallway, careful not to wake her mother sleeping next door, she thought back to the past 4 years of her life. The only years she could remember - anything prior to that was just simply gone from her mind. She was 18 now, but had only lived for 4 and anytime she had inquired about it to any of the Dreemurrs, they had deflected the question, only giving vague insinuations such as _"You saved us; only fair that we do the same to you"_

As she reached for the living rooms light switch at the bottom of a flight of stairs, she became aware of sounds in the darkness. Clothes shuffling, someone walking around, the clanking of keys being dropped on a table.

She crouched down and focused her hearing. The footsteps were too heavy and loud to be her mothers, but too light to be her dads.

" _Asriel?"_ She whisper-shouted into the dark room.

" _Oh, howdy Frisk, did I wake you up?"_

Frisk shook her head in response, not really caring that her brother probably couldn't see her in the dark. Instead, she shot her arms out, expecting an immediate response.

She got it, as she felt her brother envelop her and pick her up into a hug.

" _You shouldn't be up this late; you have work tomorrow"_ Asriel whispered, nestling his muzzle in her neck.

" _I had... I had a bad dream"_ she answered. She felt the hug tighten around her.

" _I saw so many people get killed, Azzy. I s-saw it and I l-laughed! Azzy, I-_

" _Shh, it was just a nightmare. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to"_

She nodded. For a few seconds, all that was, was them standing in the darkened living room, holding each other.

" _Az... I think... I think there's something wrong with me"_ Frisk whispered with shaking voice.

" _No! Never say that! You're perfect just the way you are"_ Asriel answered, a little louder.

" _There's something evil inside me"_ She said, sounding afraid and clutching tighter.

" _I don't want to hurt any of you..."_

Asriel took a moment to run his paw trough her brown hair before he answered.

" _Don't be afraid. You're not like that. You're stronger than hi-... than that, I know you are. We'll always be here for you, and we'll always help you_ _"_

Frisk inched closer, nestling her head in his neck fur. She would like to believe him, even if a part of her still screamed " _EVIL!"_ But for now, this was all that she needed. Even as her brother carried her back to bed, coming back with a glass of water shortly after, she was at ease, her bed sheets even felt cleaner now.

Yes, there might be a festering knot of evil growing inside her, but being around her family gave her the strength and determination to fight it.

* * *

.

Asriel sighed with a heavy heart as he entered his own room. He supposed it was a mixed blessing that Frisk had no memory of her life prior to his battle with the old king of humans 4 years ago. After they had brought her home, they were anxious to see what kind of eyes would greet them when she would wake up. The somewhat closed, but nonetheless charming eyes of Frisk, or the smug, cold one's of Valantis, the old king.

Luckily, it had been Frisk's, but it was quite obvious that the old king was still somewhere inside her. Whenever Frisk was happy and content, she would be her usual, peaceful self, but if she got too angry or scared, then Valantis's more aggressive personality could assume control. It was just as well that he had no recollection of his past life either, but it still meant that the pacifistic angel would transform into a spiteful, arrogant despot until she could be calmed down again. It all seemed like one big deja-vu. Back when Frisk had first arrived in The Underground and he was still a flower, he had had fleeting suspicion that Chara, his childhood friend, might have taken root inside the 8th child. Now, someone probably even meaner had taken that role.

" _Sounds like Frisky-bits isn't doing so great"_ Flowey declared sleepily.

" _Yeah, having an annoying buzz in your ear telling you to do stupid crap can be a real pain in the butt"_ Asriel answered.

" _A what? What are you... Oh! Ohohoho, I get it! Low blow, Azzy. I like it!"_

Asriel tossed his shirt and vest unto a chair in the corner, as he did, he caught a glimpse of himself in a large mirror mounted on his wall, and he turned to look.

In the years that had passed, the fur on his stomach had migrated upwards, becoming more thin and downy, and making his chest more fluffy. His horns had grown quite a few centimeters, and had even begun curling slightly inwards. But perhaps the biggest change of all was his now bright green eyes; his natural ones. Having Frisk's soul inside him had turned them brown, but now those belonged to the sweet little cinnamon roll sleeping next door.

Ever since Frisk left him for her own body, he had been severely weakened. Her soul had made him the most powerful monster on the planet, but ever since that day, his physical and magical capabilities had been severely diminished. As a result, his training with Undyne had had to be ramped up dramatically. While he was still nowhere near as powerful as he was back then, it had helped to shorten the gap, and while they had cut down on the hours ever since he started working as adviser, they still sparred and jogged together every once in a while. He had grown a lot in the past 4 years, and in more ways that one, standing at almost 2.1 meters tall. It was still early summer and he had already twice needed to go out and buy new clothes this year, because he had outgrown his last ones.

" _Y'know, all that cardio can't be good for ya"_

Flowey commented inside his head.

Asriel merely grunted in response.

" _Oh! That reminds me, you still haven't answered that letter, have you?"_

Asriel cringed and felt a fresh wave of red-hot, embarrassed blush fill his cheeks. He looked to his side. On top of his clothes drawer laid an opened envelope and letter. An invitation from _Furfit_ , Ebotts premier (and only) health and fitness magazine. 2 days ago, they had offered and invited him in for a swimwear photo-shoot, of all things.

His first reaction had been to immediately throw it into the trash in an embarrassed fit, but it was still hard not to take it as a kind of compliment. Thus, it had laid on his drawer the last few days, like an errant alien object fallen from the sky which you're not really sure what to do with. Something you take an ashamed kind of pride in.

What he had to do right now, however, was to get a good nights sleep. He had gotten a head start back at the office, but tomorrow would be another busy day; filled with joyful browsing of yet more thoughtful, and not at all delaying proposals and paperwork

" _You're a bad liar"_ Flowey murmured sleepily in his head. _"_ _Why do you even do it if you hate it so much?"_

" _Because I have to"_

" _No you don't; you're the prince! You can do whatever you want!"_

" _Then I_ _ **want** to_ _!... Figures you wouldn't understand"_ Asriel replied, slumping unto his bed.

" _Y'know, it's not nice to make fun of people with glasses... It's, uhh, kinda the same with me and.. you know"_

Asriel nodded, eyes closed.

" _I do. I just want to... do a good job, perhaps even make the world a better place for all to live in. But there's so much riding on my shoulders, I don't even-"_

" _Stop! Stop right there Mr. politician, if you're gonna get wound up about your career_ _now, we'll never get any sleep!"_ Flowey protested.

Asriel smiled a bit at that and chuckled.

" _Yeah, I guess you're right... thanks Flowey"_

" _Aww, screw you too"_

* * *

.

Meanwhile, far, far away, beneath another mountain, a lone, young human was descending down a dark, cavernous stairway. He shivered, both from the cold dampness, but also of slight trepidation of what he was about to do.

He knew he wasn't in any real danger; as long as got at least a second's advanced warning on any would-be attacker, no one would be able to lay a finger on him.

Still, this was a day of many first, and almost all of them were unpleasant.

He finally reached the bottom, and entered into circular room. The room was dominated by an office-like desk with a computer, manned by a bloated, toad-like monster.

The monster in question rolled one of it's slimy eyeballs to look at him as he entered.

" _Whaddya want?"_ It croaked in a slimy, wet voice.

The human froze for a second in front of the desk. The monster wasn't all that intimidating, but he of all people knew that looks could be deceiving.

Finally managing to break his stupor, he gently placed an aluminum-briefcase on the desk.

" _I wish to deal in the most common, yet most exotic ware of all_ _"_ the human said, as monotonous as possible

The croak didn't move a muscle, instead just keeping up it's death-stare. He supposed it was as good an indication as any that the toad had accepted the pass phrase.

He clicked the hinges of the suitcase open, and turned it towards the monster.

It's eyes practically grew in size, as it saw huge assortment of human money- bills and monster gold coins.

 _5 m-m-million... in t-tot-total"_ the human stammered out, anxiety starting to cripple his voice.

The toad made a series of deep, almost bird like chirps. It took him a moment to realize it was laughing.

" _For some reason, this doesn't strike me as a donation_ " it said, and raised a questioning eyebrow, while smiling smugly.

The human took a deep breath, gathering his courage.

" _I...I... 40 monsters. I need 40 monsters"_ He finally managed.

A flash of nervousness went across the toads face. Breaking eye-contact, it returned to it's computer, tapping a few buttons.

" _My apologies, sir, but we only have 7 on "storage""_ It said, in a suddenly much more professional tone of voice.

" _And, uhh, we only have capacity to hold 25 at any given time"_

As he saw the evident nervousness of the monster, the human finally felt the galvanizing effect of having his burning fear turn into cold anger. Fear was a useless emotion; it crippled one. Anger, on the other hand, was something he knew, something he could use.

" _That's alright, I'll need 'em by tomorrow"_

The toad croaked in disbelief, and turned both eyes to look at him.

_I-I'm sorry, sir, but capturing that many takes time! There are procedures to follow, escape plans to organize, people to-_

" _I don't care about your work "ethics", toady. Are you telling me you can't do your job?"_ The human challenged, reaching a hand towards the briefcase as if he intended to close it shut in front of the toad.

One of the toads eyelid dropped down slightly, giving it an "annoyed" look.

" _No, sir, I am merely suggesting that there will be consequences for such a rush order"_

" _Let me worry about that"_ The human said with finality and turned to leave.

" _Just have them ready for pickup, same time tomorrow"_

" _One more thing, sir..."_ The toad called after him. He froze; feeling his recently won courage already slowly morph back into fearful anxiety.

" _To whom should I say is the "merchandise" to be addressed to?"_

The human took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling with the motion.

" _Call me... "_ _ **The Prophet**_ _""_

With that, the human steeped onto the stairway, intending to leave the damp cavern as quickly as possible. He heard the toad-like monster make it's chirp-like snicker behind him; a usual reaction when he told people his moniker.

His hands clenched into fists. Socializing with other people had never been something he was great at, but having to deal with scum like that made his blood boil. He made a mental note to return here and destroy everything once his agenda had been accomplished.

He stumbled on one of the steps, cursing as he did. In his anger, he had not noticed his vision going blurry because of a lack of air. He reached into his hoodie pocket for his asthma inhaler, cursing again when he accidentally tipped his jar of painkillers out unto the floor.

Yes, dealing with human/monster trafficking scum made him sick, but, really, was there any price too steep, too dire or too damning to pay...

If it meant saving the world from a fate worse that it's destruction?

* * *

.

At the bottom of the stairs, the toad-like monster was working frantically. The magical sensor hidden beneath his desk had revealed that the human were not in any way affiliated with the police, so there was no way this was an attempt at infiltrating them.

That just left the business of orchestrating the kidnapping, relocation and tempoary confinement of 33 monsters in 24 hours. It was going to be a long night; all their catchers would have to be called in, and they most likely all have to be paid overtime. Which shouldn't be a problem, giving the huge amount of cash they had been paid

Normally, one would have to go to Ebott to kidnap a monster, but the human military cordon around the city made it difficult to break in or out.

But luckily, there was another readily available source much, much closer. There would be consequences, severe consequences, but then again, there always were when you dealt in the business of buying and selling other people's future.

 


	3. Crisis Coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Sorry about taking so long with this one, but the length, as well as the fact that I never really felt totally satisfied with it (Which i still don't) kept delaying me. Nevertheless, here we are!

Frisk gently turned in her bed as she slowly woke up. Her dreams became more and more slippery and fuzzy, and her surprisingly brightly-lit room came ever more into focus.

As it did, so too did her goofily smiling brother, sitting on the floor besides her bed, already wearing his loose-hanging black t-shirt and jeans daily-wear, looking over her like a silent sentinel.

" _ _You know, some people would think it's creepy having someone staring them while they sleep"__ Frisk mumbled, tiredly but friendly.

" _ _I don't"__ Asriel simply answered with a shrug of the shoulders.

" _ _Of course you don't, when you're the one doing it, you creepy goat!"__ Quick as she could, Frisk grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at him.

Asriel laughed as he caught it out of the air, got to his feet, and briskly walked towards Frisk's bed.

Seeing the boss monster approach with mischievous intent, Frisk ducked under her blankets with a playful shriek.

Asriel deftly shot his paws in under the blankets as well. Frisk yelped and laughed hysterically as he began tickling her.

" _ _AHAHA NO STO-AHAHA"__ She laughed, as she squirmed like a cat in a bag beneath the blankets.

" _ _You dare strike at your prince? Such transgressions shall not go unpunished!__ " Asriel said, trying to make his voice sound malicious and failing horribly.

" _H_ _ _AHA__ _ _HA,__ _ _I WILL HAHA NEVER YIELD!"__ Frisk practically shouted, as she suddenly tore the blankets away and reached up, quickly placing one hand on the inside of one of Asriel's ears, and another on the nape of his neck. Almost instantly, Asriel's expression changed from one of mischief to complete, peaceful bliss, as Frisk scratched his sensitive points. He sighed in absolute contentment.

" _ _Are you going to behave?"__ Fisk asked with a smile.

" _ _Uh huh..."__ Asriel muttered in response, eyes closed in pure relaxation.

Frisk couldn't help but giggle at the infectious smile on Asriel's face. Almost all the Dreemurrs had infectious smiles, in fact, but she had always felt closest to her brother.

" _ _Now, why did you come here?"__ Frisk asked, trying for a stern tone.

" _ _Uhh... breakfast... downstairs"__ Asriel answered sleepily.

Frisk felt a knot of annoyance in her stomach. Right, it was a work day, her carefully laid plans of staying in bed and watching Netflix all day were brought to ruin before they had even started.

" _ _Alright, listen well, my servant-prince__ " Frisk began, intensifying her scratchings on Asriel's ear and neck, his knees shaking a bit in response.

" _ _You're going to carry me downstairs to the living room.__ _ _You will__ _ _address__ _ _me as your__ _ _master__ _ _– if you don't or__ _ _If you bonk me into anything, I'll stop scratching, understood?"__ She ordered playfuly.

" _ _Anything for you,__ _ _master__ _ _"__ Asriel said, voice still blurred by deep bliss.

Frisk braced herself, leaning into her brother for balance, as she felt strong arms reach down and pick her up in a bridal-like carry. As they marched down towards the stairs and living room, Frisk kept up her relentless scratching, as she nestled herself into her brothers furry chest. Try as they might, neither of them imagined they could be much happier than they were now. To Frisk especially, this was her favorite way of waking up, nestling close her big brother, like the big walking, talking teddy-goat he was, so full of fluff, warmth and love.

* * *

There were times when Toriel would wake up in cold sweat. Roused from a nightmare in which the event's of Frisks' journey had never come to pass; where she was still trapped underground alone, where hope dwindled from the hearts of monsters daily, and where her beloved son had not been returned to her.

She would throw off her covers and race down the hallways, aware that it had been nothing more than a nightmare yet fully convinced it was true; that she was alone again. Only when she laid eyes on the sleeping form of her once lost child did she find ease, an ease only compounded upon further when she entered the room next door, Frisk's room. It was curious how human children had a way of falling into her care, but she would have it no other way.

In truth, raising her children, watching them grow up strong, wise and good brought her more contentment and fulfillment than being a queen ever did.

A fact that only rung true once again, sitting as she was, in her reading chair, watching Asriel and Frisk eat their breakfast at the dinner table. Spontaneously, Asriel would pick a piece out of his bowl of __Mon-Stars__ and playfully toss it at Frisk. In response, Frisk would pinch some of his fur-hairs, flick one of his ears or jab a finger into his side, making him shudder. Despite his size, she had found out that her brother was almost as ticklish as she.

As Toriel watched all of this, she felt a contented sigh escape her. She realized that if she were to simply expire and turn to dust right here, she would accept it without regret. She had lived a long and fulfilling life, and death did not frighten her in the least.

A knock came on the door, and almost immediately, her moment of bliss was shattered. She recognized the heavy, booming yet somehow gentle knocks, something only her former husband could make.

" _ _Come in"__ she called.

The door opened in response and in came, unsurprisingly, the king of monsters and her former husband; Asgore Dreemurr, alongside beams of morning sunlight shining from the rising sun in the sky behind him.

" _ _DAD!"__ Frisk called out as she saw him, leaping from her chair and rushing to meet him. Asriel's more subdued response was a gentle smile, wave and welcoming _"Howdy, dad!"_

Frisk soul was a fair bit younger than the body it resided in, meaning that she could tend to come off as a bit more childish than one would expect. It only really served to make her all the more endearing though.

" _ _Haha, it's good to see you all!__ " Asgore said as he was tackled by Frisk, reaching down and scooping her up in a hug. Frisk was almost comically small compared to everyone else in the house, even Asriel, who, while still large, would probably never reach the same size as his father; he was stuck somewhere in between his parents; broader and taller than his mother, but not as much as his father.

Toriel rose from her chair, watching the spectacle with not-quite a frown, not-quite a smile expression. Try as she might, she still couldn't help but feel a small tinge of resentment whenever she saw her former husband, but the years, and their shared imprisonment during Asriels crownquest, had helped to soften her up a bit towards him, and while they would most likely never get re-married, they could at least be considered friends.

Nevertheless, it was impossible to forget that the family father standing in the entryway had several human lives on his conscience.

Asgore released Frisk from his hug, and knelled down, petting her on the head.

" _ _So, what are you up to today, Frisky?"__ He asked with a smile.

Frisk immediately crossed her arms and looked away _"_ _ _Work__ _ _.__ _ _Got an interview with some workers union guy__ _ _"__ she pouted, her expression easily betraying that her opinion of the guy was less than stellar.

Asgore laughed and ruffled her hair _"_ _ _Ha, surely__ _ _it's not that bad?__ _ _Being a journalist__ _ _is a great way to learn about the world and make new friends!"__

Frisk didn't answer.

" _ _Golly, are they... treating you well over there?__ _ _In the capital?__ _ _"__ He asked, his happy smile turning into one of concern.

Frisk batted his hand away _"_ _ _Pfft, it's fine,__ _ _there's still a few...insignificant insects who still think it's a good idea to make fun of me__ _ _"__ she answered, her voice suddenly taking on a dark, quiet and malevolent tone.

" _ _Uhh"__

" _ _Oh, nothing you have no worry about, father. I know how to deal with pests"__

Asgore cringed inwardly, as he witnessed Frisk's silent transformation into another person entirely. Her body posture became more straight and confident, yet her expression as a whole changed into one of smug arrogance, her eyes even opened up a bit. Her arms crossed and despite being the smallest in the entire household, somehow managed to look down on all of them.

Immediately, Asriel steeped in, scooped her up, and held her tight. Recognizing the signs of one of Frisk's _Soul Shifts_ , as Alphys had called it.

" _ _I'm sure you do, Frisk, but we both know you don't want to do that, right?"__ he cooed.

" _ _Set me down, you fool! You can't tell me what to do! You gnat!"__ Frisk protested and struggled to get free.

" _Nope, not until you cool down_ _ _"__ Asriel answered, holding fast _"_ _ _Why don't we finish breakfast together? Then I can tell you exactly how you don't "deal with pests""__

Frisk shouted, screamed and kicked as she tried to get free to no avail, even as she was carried out of the entrance hall, into the living room, leaving an awkward looking Asgore, and a furious Toriel behind.

" _ _Dreemurr... How many times have I told you..."__ She said angrily, eyes glowing with inner anger.

" _ _Not to ask her about__ _ _living alone__ _ _?"__ He finished, trying to stand up under her withering glare.

" _ _Ahh, you do know, so I can only assume you did it to tick her off, right?"__ she asked mockingly.

" _ _Come on, Tori, you know I'd never do anything to harm her"__

" _ _You got a funny definition of "not harming" then"__ She answered with scorn.

Asgore stood up straight with an annoyed sigh. _"_ _ _Look, I sent a letter to the__ _ _police__ _ _last week about Frisk's... less-than-__ _ _optimal__ _ _experiences. I just hoped that maybe-"__

" _ _Maybe what, Dreemurr? That something would change? That your, what, 7__ _ _th__ _ _letter in as many months would work where all the others failed?__

" _ _ **At least I'm trying! Are you?**__ _ _"__ Asgore snapped.

Toriel took a small step back in surprise yet kept her steely gaze transfixed on him. Asgore looked away in embarrashed shame. He was well aware that the last 8 years working to secure monsterkinds place in the world had taxed him a great deal and made him more irritable, but, dammit, here was his ex-wife, someone who had forsaken her sworn duty as queen to live a quiet and comfortable life in the suburbs and she had the audacity to look down on him!? Even now, so many years later?

" _ _Get... out"__ She hissed at him.

" _ _I need to talk to Asriel"__ Asgore quickly replied.

" _ _And you couldn't wait until he met at the office? You work at the same place for gods sake!"__

" _ _No, this is urgent"__

" _ _Well, perhaps he doesn't want to talk to you"__

" _ _ **Just, please!**__ " Asgore snapped once again, before taking a few seconds to compose himself.

" _ _Just... let me talk to my son, please"__

For a few seconds they stood there. Toriel glaring holes into Asgore, and Asgore feeling very much like he was being hollowed out beneath her gaze, yet refusing to back down.

Then, with a dismissive grunt, Toriel spun around and walked briskly back into the reading room. Looking at her leave, Asgore was subtly reminded of why he had married her in the first place; she was without a doubt the most beautiful, intelligent and graceful woman he had ever met.

Doing his best to ignore the ache in his heart, he turned towards the living room, where the sounds of Frisk recovering from one of her _Soul Shifts_ did not bode well.

* * *

" _ _What did I do!? What did I do!?"__ Frisk asked hysterically, as Asriel tried to control her shaking, gently but firmly holding her shoulders.

" _ _Nothing! Nothing, I promise, it was a small one this time, you didn't do-"__

" _ _I ALWAYS DO SOMETHING!"__ She shouted and pushed Asriel hard enough to knock him down on the floor.

Frisk stood up, looking at her shaking hands with disgust.

" _ _Every time I lose it, I do something bad. Even now... even at home with you, I can't..."__

Without another word and tears trailing behind her, Frisk turned and ran up the stairs, the booming sound of her door being slammed shut echoing downwards.

Asriel could only sigh in defeat as he picked himself off the floor. In many ways, the inconsolable, torn Frisk that came after she had had one of her "falls" were much worse. Cruel, megalomanic jerks he could deal with, but seeing one he loved so dearly go trough something like that... that was a battle he couldn't compete in.

Frisk had moved out to live in her own apartment in the human capital about half a year ago, not because she wanted to, but because she felt bad living off people that had already done so much for her. They had of course protested that she wasn't "leeching" and that would be more than happy to have her live there for as long as she wanted, but she had been adamant. Of course, that didn't stop her from staying at the Dreemurr household every Friday evening to Monday morning.

However, coming to the City had been more trouble than expected. Finding a job for someone that had no formal education or work experience on paper, proved to be almost impossible. Luckily, a 3rd party privately owned newspaper agency had reached out to her, upon learning that she had been living with monsters for a long time, and offered her a job. It didn't pay well, and very few took them seriously, but she had come to love the people that she worked with, and it was a great way of learning about a world she had no prior knowledge of.

Unfortunately, not everyone took it so well. A few people, having learned about her living with monsters, had taken it upon themselves to "remind her of her place". At least once a week, she'd find crude graffiti sprayed on her apartment door, her e-mail chock-full of hate mail, or sometimes even get mugged on the street. All these things had only served to severely aggravate her _Soul Shift_ syndrome. It was important she stayed as positive and happy as possible, lest the soul of Valantis would one day take over for good.

Asriel went over to the kitchen cupboards; experience told him that Frisk would need a few minutes of alone time before any kind of consoling would work. He felt rotten leaving her alone up there, but at the same time grateful he didn't have to witness the sight of his savior in such emotional torment. And, at least it gave him just enough time to prepare a cup of hot chocolate for her. She might have to have the day off, and he would probably be late for work after he had helped calm her down, but none of that mattered; only Frisk's happiness did.

" _ _Howdy Asriel"__ Asgore's booming but somehow still quiet voice came from behind.

Asriel looked over his shoulder _"_ _ _Hey dad"__ he answered, a bit lower than intended.

Asgore took a step inside the kitchen, looking around with appraising eyes as if it was his first time there.

" _ _Is, uhh, is little Frisk doing alright?"__ he asked tentatively.

Asriel returned to the kitchen table, and poured a spoonful of cocoa powder into the cup.

" _ _Yes, she... no, I... I don't know, dad"__

" _ _It's been like this ever since we brought her home, right?"__

Asriel nodded.

" _ _I see... but, uhh, how are you holding up then?"__

Asriel sighed and dropped the spoon onto the table with a clank _"_ _ _Dad, I appreciate you coming to visit,__ _ _I really do__ _ _, but why are you here, truly?"__

Asgore clasped his hands, twiddling his thumbs and looked nervously to the side.

" _ _Yes, you're right. Asriel... I would like to, how to put this... ask a favor of you"__

Asriel turned around again _"_ _ _Oh? What is it?"__

" _ _It's... something important, nothing you can't handle, I'm sure, but, uhh, not that you__ _ _ **have**__ _ _to do it, because you don't, it's not__ _ _ **that**__ _ _important, just, uhh-"__

Asriel quickly took a steep forward and placed a paw on his fathers shoulder, silencing him.

" _ _Easy there, dad, whatever it is, I'm sure it beats going to Los Suenos and fight an old king"__ He said with a smile.

Asgore relaxed a bit at the gesture _"_ _ _Hehe, yes, of course. Golly, I'll just... cut to the chase then. Asriel, have you heard about The Weathergood Mall Project?"__

Asriel glanced away for a moment, digging trough his memory.

" _ _Yeah, that mall they're building in the human capital, right?"__

" _ _Indeed! The city officials wanted the mall to carry different cultural themes from all over the world in the different sections"__

Asriels eyes widened a bit at the implication.

" _ _You mean... we-"__

" _ _Yes, I know, I was very surprised as well when the offer landed on my desk, it's not like "the suits" to show such goodwill. Nevertheless, we were contracted to build the, drum-roll please... food court!"__

Asriel took a step back, head almost swimming with excitement. For the last 4 years, monsters weren't even allowed to leave Ebott without special passports only granted to a few, and now suddenly this! Even better; they were specifically asked to build it in a way that reflected their culture! Not that it differed that much from certain human ones to begin with, but nevertheless, this was the perfect way to reflect their way of life to the human public.

" _ _Dad, that's... THAT'S AMAZING!"__ Asriel shouted as he jumped up to hug his father with a laugh.

Asgore joined in, reciprocating the hug. _"_ _ _It is indeed, but... that also brings me to why I am here"__

Asriel fell back onto his feet, already feeling a cold run down his back.

" _ _You see, they started construction about 5 months ago, and all was going smoothly... until yesterday"__

Asriel drew a breath in.

" _ _What happened?"__

" _ _Well, it appears that the construction team we sent... made a "__ _ _w__ _ _hoopsie""__

" _ _A "whoopsie?""__

" _ _Yes, golly, that sounded stupid. But anyway, last night, the crew accidentally built a hallway leading from the food court into the sports section"__

Asriel scowled.

" _ _And they've gotten into trouble for that? Using magic to build something?__

His father shook his head in response.

" _ _No, I know we aren't legally allowed to__ _ _practice__ _ _magic__ _ _outside of Ebott__ _ _, but we've been granted special legislation in this case"__

" _ _Oh, that's nice"__

" _ _It is... no, the problem is that the company responsible for building the sports section claims that we've built upon their__ _ _section__ _ _. They're calling it a breach of contract"__

" _ _Oh darn"__

" _ _Even worse, they're... I just received a letter threatening us with a lawsuit over "loss of profit" if we don't make amends, Asriel"__

Asriel grasped at his ears in disbelief.

" _ _Loss of profit!? Over a hallway!?"__

" _ _I know, it doesn't make any sense, but when have the suits ever?"__

" _ _But if that... if that happens-"__

" _ _If the lawsuit passes, we'll be taken off the project and they'll find someone else__ _ _to do the job__ _ _"__ Asgore finished, collapsing down on a chair with a resigned sigh.

There were many kinds of fears, Asriel had long ago learned. There's the obvious fear of danger; that hot rush flooding the body when standing face-to-face with mortal danger. There's the fear of imminent loss, that cold, crippling one that settles in one's heart when you watch someone you love dearly waste away and you've promised not to tell anyone.

But there's also the dark, all-encompassing, all-swallowing fear that leaves one numb, the one that replaces every sinew, dust particle and hair on your body with utter despair. The one you get when all you've striven for is about to collapse, taking everything and everyone you hold dear with it in it's landslide.

He'd told himself many lies about the progress he and his father had made. That every small concession made in their favor was actually a vast step forward towards freedom. But that was also what they were; lies.

They needed this, this foot inside the door, if they were ever to gain their place in the world before the turn of the next century, Asriel knew.

" _ _What do we do?"__ He whispered low.

Asgore meekly clapped his hands together, and looked up at his son.

" _ _Well, I arranged for a meeting with a representative from the company. I am... I were supposed to meet him at about 8:30"__

Asriel raised an eyebrow.

" _ _You "were"? But dad, you have to! We can't lose this!"__

" _ _I know! I know!"__ Asgore insisted and rose from the chair.

" _ _But I just got a call from Miss Muffet. It appears that Bob and his Temmies are planning to go on a "dragon-slaying" quest that will take them beyond the cordon. They're,__ _ _heh,__ _ _"__ _ _mustering"__ _ _at his house now"__

" _ _What, again?"__

" _ _Yes, again. I'm sure you know we can't have a group of armed monsters march up to a military checkpoint, it'll be catastrophic, but if it's anything like last time, they'll answer to their "lord and liege""__ Asgore said the last words with sarcasm.

" _ _So they'll only stop if you tell them?"__

" _ _Yes... which is why, Asriel... I would like to ask you to go to the meeting in my stead"__

For just a second, Asriel could have sworn a sledgehammer was going berserk inside his head.

" _ _Who-wha- ME!?"__ He protested.

Asgore raised his hands in a calming gesture.

" _ _I know it's a lot to ask you, and you don't have to say yes, but... we need this, and you have a good way with people, Asriel. I'm sure you can reason with them"__

Asriel merely sighed and looked away with distressed eyes. As heir to the kingdom, he did have official authority to parlay and act in his fathers stead, but this was something wholly new. True, he had been on a few goodwill campaigns and meetings with humans before, but always as a kind of assistant or moral support to his father.

This would be the first time he would ever have to exercise that right, and the first time he'd go it alone, and on such an important political matter as well.

" _ _My son, if you don't want to, I understand. I'll call them, see if I can't get the meeting postponed till later"__

They would never agree to that.

Asgore sagged his shoulders, breathed out and made to leave for the door.

" _ _Alright, I won't force you. Guess I'll see you later down at the office then. I'll be in Temmie Town if you need-"__

Like a bullet, Asriels paw suddenly shot out to grab his fathers wrist.

" _ _I'll do it"__

The flustered king turned to look.

" _ _Wha- are you sure? You don't have to if you don't feel ready, or-"__

" _ _I don't, but I'll do it"__ Asriel repeated with determination, still looking away.

The surprised frown on Asgore's face slowly turned to one of pride. He knelled down and hugged his son close.

" _ _I'm proud of you. I hate to put this burden on your shoulders, but I'm happy you took it"__

" _ _Well,__ _ _ **someone**__ _ _has to"__ Asriel replied returning the hug.

" _ _Hah! Don't get cocky now. I'll be off averting another war, you know"__

" _ _Oooohhhh! The Temmie War! How frightening!"__

Asgore laughed heartily, a sentiment shared by his son. After a few seconds he coughed, silencing them both.

" _ _So... you know how to handle it?"__ Asgore asked breaking away from the hug gently.

Asriel looked up, thinking.

" _ _Just avert the lawsuit, right?"__

" _ _Right. If they want monetary compensation, we can work something out. If they want a section of the food court... we can give them a small portion, just don't overdo it; we don't want to avoid the lawsuit just to lose the contract anyway"__

" _ _Right"__ Asriel finished, letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Sensing his nervousness, Asgore placed a paw on his son's head.

" _ _Listen, I know you can do it, just...__ " He looked away for a moment.

" _ _There's something my dad used to tell me"__

He moved his paw to point at Asriel's head.

" _ _As long as you think with your head..."__

He moved the paw down, placing it on Asriel's chest.

" _ _... but act with your heart, you need not fear any battle, be it martial or political"__

" _ _Think with your head. Act with your heart"__ Asriel repeated.

" _ _Yes, it's pretty much a family motto. Ancient, but I like to think it's still true"__

" _ _Right... I won't let you down, dad!"__

Asgore moved his hand, placing in on Asriel's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

" _ _I know you won't. You couldn't even if you tried"__ He said with a fatherly smile.

* * *

Asriel slowly closed the door to his room behind him. Frisk had somehow managed to fall asleep. If she needed her cup of chocolate re-heated, she could just ask him for a quick fix of fire magic. She would most likely be late for work, but waking her up now just to remind her of that seemed unnecessarily cruel. Let her rest instead.

For now, he needed to prepare.

He had already showered the morning, so first order of business was finding the right clothes.

He threw open the doors of his wardrobe; immediately, 2 options presented themselves; his formal, royal dress-like robes and a business suit with a white shirt underneath and matching pants.

As much as it irked him, going with the suit would probably be the safer bet. "The Suits" usually didn't take kindly to any kind of extravagant attire that deviated from their own. It had to be all black and white, otherwise they might think you're not taking the matter at hand seriously.

Nevertheless, Asriel immensely disliked the piece of cloth. The tight fabric felt uncomfortable against his fur and dressing like one of the suits made him feel dirty, that he was sucking up to the tormenters of his people, that he was betraying those he had sworn to serve.

He suddenly realized with heavy breath, that his heart was still racing and cold sweat was running down his back. He had to calm down. It was the perfect time for his relaxation ritual.

He went to retrieve his guitar sitting in the corner of his room, plunked down on his bed and gently moved his fingers into position on the strings.

After he had rescued his friends and family from the old human king, Undyne had insisted they ramp up his training, in order to compensate for Frisks soul leaving him, something that had left him greatly weakened, both in body and in magical ability.

Unfortunately, this proved to be a bit more than what his weakened body could handle, and barely a week after coming home, he had severely injured his leg in training.

Initially, Undyne had wanted them to continue, claiming that learning to fight while bound to a wheelchair or crutches were incredibly important skills, but here his mother had steeped in, insisting they turned it down a notch until his leg had healed.

So instead of martial training, Undyne had taught the basics of playing guitar. Asriel had been surprised Undyne even knew that, but it was becoming clearer and clearer to him that there weren't many things Undyne didn't know how to do.

He had never gotten that good at it, and he didn't have the time to practice, but he did find the tunes and motion of playing the strings highly relaxing.

__My friend, my friend, be at ease, though your task is grim, I know victory you will seize_ _

So, meet with a lawyer representative of a construction firm, and find way to make him call off the lawsuit. Sounded easy enough, but there was never any accounting for with the suits; they were as cunning as they could be cruel.

__You will see, you will see, that not all is lost, you will triumph, no matter the cost_ _

Asriel thought back to the first political excursion he had joined his dad on, when he had been 15. A visit to a children's hospital on a goodwill mission. It had started off wonderfully; human children were so much more accepting than the adults. For the first time in a long while, Asriel felt at peace, that he was doing something good, that he was being useful, the hospital staff had even complimented him on the calming presence he seemed to carry around.

That was until an enraged pair of parents had arrived, shouting up a storm that they would never let "filthy beasts" sully their precious angel. Asriel remembered how scared he had been, hiding behind his dad's larger frame, but he also remembered how, despite how furious the humans had been, his father had calmly managed to talk them down, and made them apologize for their behavior. They had even promised to join a pro-monster movement.

Could he ever be as great as his dad? He figured not, but he would try.

__In the end, in the end, when all is said and done, an era of peace will have begun_ _

This was it; his trial by fire. He was dressed, groomed and combed and about as ready as he would ever be.

Which felt like not at all.

There was a knock on the door. A light one, rough, made by a hand un-cushioned by fur.

" _ _Come in, Frisk!"__ He called, putting his guitar down on the bed.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a Frisk that had changed from her nightgown into her daily-wear; a slightly larger and long-sleeved version of her blue- and purple striped blouse, a light blue jacket, white sneakers and black leggings topped by a skirt.

" _ _Hi, Azzy"__ _She_ said meekly, and looked to the side nervously.

Asriel immediately got up from his bed and went over to hug her.

" _F_ _ _eel__ _ _ing__ _ _better now?"__ He said quietly, nuzzling his muzzle in her shoulder.

She simply nodded, and then gently raised a hand, looking him in the eyes.

 _" _Snootie?"__ she asked.

He huffed a laugh in response.

 _" _Snoot is ready for boop!"__ He declared with a smile.

Frisk chuckled as he pressed 2 fingers unto his nose. Just to complete the moment, Asriel made a small bleat in response.

The laughter and smile he got in return were one of the many things that made life such a wonderful thing.

" _Alright, **now** I think I'm all better" _ She said in-between her laughs.

" _I'm glad to hear it; I would hate to make it illegal for you to be sad"_

" _Hah, you can do that?!_

" _I don't know, should I find out?"_

" _Haha, nah, better not...,but, uh-"_ she began, gazing away for a second.

" _Do you think you could drive me home? I have some stuff to do before work"_

Asriel thought for a minute. The metting with the lawyer was soon, but if memory served, The Weathergood Mall construction site wasn't that far away from Frisk's apartment.

" _ _I think that can be arranged, but..."__

He slowly craned his head back to look at Frisk, giving them a wry smile.

" _ _We're already late, how are we going to make up for lost time?"__

" _ _Race you to the car?"__

" _ _You're on"__

* * *

Meanwhile, not so far away, in the Royal Labs, a far more tense atmosphere was prevalent. Alphys, still holding the title of Royal Scientist, was running to and fro in her labs. In just a few short hours, a gathering of human scientist would arrive, hoping to learn more about the nature of human and monsters souls; an important step in understanding their differences, and perhaps towards lifting the ban.

And EVERYTHING had to be in order!

To anyone else, the pristine, shining laboratory was the perfect incarnation of cleanliness and order, but to the frantic lizard lady, even the smallest blemish was an unforgivable act of tardiness.

She yelped as she saw a few motes of dust and hair hover in the sunlight. She felt cold fear when she noticed the tiniest of fractures in one of her beakers and yet another in one of her volumetric flasks.

She was a whirl as she stormed around, sucking the dust out of the air using one of her technical appliances, and quickly charging down 5 flights of stairs to get to the depot, retrieving some new glassware.

But at last, everything seemed in order. No fractures, no dust, no spots, no flashing red lights-

**beep, beep, beep**

Her head swung around at the droning noise. Her work computer was flashing, definitely not something on the Approved Catastrophes list.

She plunked down on her chair, grabbed the mouse and clicked on the flashing screen. Immediately, it expanded into an even bigger one, crowned by a title.

" **PROJECT ICEBREAKER"**

It was about the worst thing possible.

The screen expanded again, showing a list of 50 names...

… and 33 of them flashing red with the words: **LOCATION UNKNOWN!**

She rolled back in her chair in stunned silence, wide-eyed and horrified.

…

_"Heh... hehe"_

No, this had to be a mistake. The candidates couldn't just disappear like that! They couldn't, they couldn't, they couldn't!

Computer make mistakes sometimes, it happens; that's what all this was, a glitch, a fluke, a bug.

She breathed out, laughing nervously as she did, but still happy that she had convinced herself like that. Yes, nothing more than a mistake.

Because if it wasn't...

Then it just about meant Game Over for monsterkind on the surface.

* * *

**There we go! We're slowly but surely getting into the plot.**

**I should probably mention on the topic of OC's; there will be a fair few, BUT with the exception of 2, all of them will be minor and won't appear for 1 or 2 chapters at most. But we'll get to that later**

**Whelp, that's all for now, stay safe!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it so far!
> 
> As always, please let me know how it's doing so far :)


	4. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Finally got to finish my other story on Fanfiction.net, and thus, I got more time on my hands.
> 
> Now, I have decided to change a few things, and all the previous chapters have been slightly rewritten. The only really noticeable thing is that Frisk is now 18, has her own apartment and works at a 3rd party newspaper office.
> 
> But asides from that that, hope you enjoy :)

 

Frisk had always known she was a special child. It wasn't anything born of arrogance or sense of superiority, in fact, every human or monster was special and unique, but perhaps, she was just a tad bit more than the usual. There were a lot of things that suggested such after all; she had no memory of her past life, yet was often subtly reminded that all of monsterkind owed her a great debt, she was the only person on the planet with the condition known as Soul Shift. But perhaps, weirdest of all, were those strange, floating yellow stars she saw here and there, stranger still was the fact that she appeared to be the only one who could see them.

But strangest of all was what was presented to her whenever she touched one of the strange, yellow anomalies. A room of infinite blackness, only broken up by the words "SAVE" "CONTINUE" and "RESET". Words of power, words she seemed to recall, but from whence or where she just couldn't remember.

Perhaps one day, she would try them out, just for fun, see what might happen.

* * *

For now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment, driving along the highway leading out of Ebott, watching the city slowly wake up under the bright summer morning sun. People could be seen enjoying their morning coffee and newspaper on their porch. Family members leaving for work kissing their soulmate goodbye in the front door.

And she got to enjoy all of it with the one person she cared for the most.

Asriel, her big brother.

She slowly dropped an opened hand down her side, close to the gear stick, followed up by a needy but playful whine.

Asriel smiled in response, let go with one paw off the steering wheel, and took her hand, interlocking fingers.

Frisk immensely enjoyed the sensation of his soft fur between her digits. She almost couldn't wait until it was Friday again.

 _"So, who's this guy you're interviewing?"_ Asriel suddenly said.

Frisk shook her head at the sudden surprise breach of silence.

_"Uhh, what?"_

_"You said something about a workers union guy?"_

Frisk looked away and grunted in annoyance. Why did he have to ruin the moment like that?

 _"Oh, that. Yes,_ uhh _, there's this scandal going on – supposedly he got a few police officers fired illegally"_

"" _Supposedly?" Do you think he did it?"_

Frisk clenched her free hand in anger, remembering when she had first heard about the case. The man was an almost comically stereotypical corrupt bureaucrat.

" _I'm sure of it! He ruined a lot of good people's lives and I won't rest until I find out why and get him behind bars!"_

Frisk said with passionate vigor.

Beside her, Asriel gently squeezed her hand.

"I know you will. If anyone can do it, it's you, just-"

He took a moment to look over at her, his expression one of pride mixed with worry.

_"Just don't get too overexcited when you meet the guy, alright? We both know what happens when you... you know"_

Frisk made a somber nod in response.

_"I know. I'll be careful"_

She squeezed Asriel back.

_"I promise"_

She said back quietly, before leaning over, resting her head on his shoulders.

_"I heard mom and dad argue again"_

She suddenly began.

Asriel stiffened a bit under her.

_"Y-yeah"_

_"I don't understand; why does mom hate dad so much?"_

She asked with worry.

_"She doesn't hate him. Dad did... something he shouldn't have done a long time ago"_

_"But mom says it's important to forgive people their mistakes"_

She insinuated, sitting back straight in the passenger seat.

He nodded.

_"Yes, but... some things are harder to forgive than others"_

Frisk huffed a saddened whine.

_"I wish they could get back together"_

_"Me too, Frisky, me too"_

She slowly craned her neck to look over at Asriel.

_"What were they like together?"_

She asked with childlike wonder

At this, Asriel finally felt some of the tense atmospheres drain out, and he laughed quietly.

_"They were amazing, heh, they still are, actually. When I went to school back in The Underground, they would sometimes come to visit our class; teach us about responsibility, humility, and respect, and every time, hehe, the class would go nuts! I couldn't believe how cool they were, or how lucky I was to be able to call them my parents. Sometimes I even forgot they were king and queen at all!"_

He answered, admiration in his voice.

Frisk returned to look out her window, apparently satisfied with the answer. Out of the corner of his eye, he briefly noticed a contemplative look on her face.

_"When do you get a queen?"_

She innocently asked.

Yet the shock was enough to make Asriel swerve into the oncoming lane, eliciting a panicked "honk" from a passing car.

 _"Uhh,_ wh _-what?"_

He asked, a little louder than intended.

_"Well, you going to be king soon, right? Doesn't that mean you'll need a queen?"_

Asriel stared ahead, wide-eyed, cold sweat beginning to form beneath his arms.

He had never even considered it. When they had first arrived on the surface, he had been too consumed by his own grief and regrets to even entertain such thoughts, and nowadays, he was simply too busy.

 _"Uhh, st-strictly speaking, I-I... don't actually NEED to h-ha-_ ave _a queen... I guess"_

He stuttered out.

_"I guess"_

Frisk concurred and crossed her arms.

Suddenly, she sighed and made a small, cute giggle.

_"I wish I could be queen!"_

She said with glee.

Asriel laughed and quickly responded.

_"Whoever said you couldn't?"_

Immediately, he felt his heart sink and eyes go wide as the slam-dunk implication of what he had just said hit home.

 _"Uhh, I mean, if you were in a human monarchy! Not in,_ uhh _, this, ha, that would be, heh, silly. Uh, not that I would, uh, mind! Not at all, it's just-"_

Frisk squeezed his hand tight, silencing him.

He felt like he was sweating bullets, yet glancing sideways, he could only see a happy smile on Frisk's face.

…

Frisk as queen? She would make a great one, no doubt about that, but would his people ever accept a human? Would his parents even? Bah, what was he thinking!? He couldn't marry his sister! Even if she were adopted!... or, well, he could... in fact.

He felt a strange sensation in his chest at the realization that he... wouldn't mind that at all. In fact, the thought almost made him giddy. Try as he might, he couldn't think of anyone else he would rather spend the rest of his life with, or share the burden of leadership with.

He just earnestly hoped he wasn't alone in that.

* * *

_"Goodbye! See you next Friday!"_

Frisk called and waved from the front door to her apartment building.

_"See you then, Frisk. Remember to call if you ever need anything!"_

Asriel shouted out of his car's rolled-down window.

Frisk merely smiled back as her keys finally found and turned the lock; with a final wave, she stepped inside, disappearing out of sight into the corridor.

Immediately, Asriel felt the warm, cozy atmosphere in the car drain out, and not just because of the opened window. He glanced down at the digital clock; about 15 minutes until the meeting.

He slowly backed the car out of the apartment parking lot. On the skyline, he could already see a large yellow crane no doubt coming from the construction site.

He gripped the steering wheel hard as if trying to channel his inner fears into the car.

_"C'mon Asriel, it's easy! Just talk to the guy, crack a joke or 2, make him see reason, easy! Easy!"_

He said to himself.

He tried thinking back to the times he had been with his father on similar excursions. Even now, years later, he was still amazed at the ease his father could subdue or calm even a wildly aggressive human. True, for all he knew, the lawyer he was supposed to meet with could be a completely amiable guy, but he had to be prepared for any eventuality.

_"Think with your head, act with your heart. Think with your head, act with your heart. Think with your head, act with our heart..."_

He repeated the mantra his dad had told him. It sounded so simple, but that was also why it probably wasn't.

Nothing worthwhile was ever easy.

* * *

He pulled the car into a makeshift parking lot at the construction site; a muddy but serviceable patch of dirt with a small fleet of common-looking cars already parked. Alongside a sleek, black Mercedes, too expensive to belong to a simple construction worker.

But perfect for a lawyer, Asriel thought to himself.

He gave himself one last look in the rear-view mirror, grunting in frustration as he noticed an errant tuft of fur stick up in between his horns.

He licked his fingers, and deftly tried to put the rebellious hair down.

_"Bah! Why do we have to wear this getup? You look like a freaking penguin!"_

Flowey suddenly blurted out.

Asriel grimaced but didn't answer. The business suit did feel uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of dread welling up within.

_"Look, Azzy, calm down. If worse comes to worst you can always try a bribe! That always works in the movies, and your dad has enough green to buy himself a castle!... oh wait..."_

Asriel shook his head.

_"We're not bribing anyone, that's wrong"_

_"Wow, I bet you're fun at parties"_

_"I can do it, I know I can!"_

_"If you think so. Just try not to think about how every monsters future is practically riding on this. Woops! Shouldn't have said that, should I?"_

Flowey finished with a snicker.

Asriel sighed deeply. Despite his tone, the flower was right. Fail here, and they would lose one of their best chances of ever getting out of Ebott. Well, except for the Icebreaker Project, he subtly reminded himself, but that was still a long time away from conclusion.

No, this was it, do or die!

He was Asriel Dreemurr, son of Asgore and Toriel and heir to the Kingdom of Monsters! Of course, he could handle this!

_"That's the spirit, tiger! Go get 'em!"_

Flowey cheered.

With a surge of confidence, Asriel stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut with a proud "thud"

* * *

The construction site itself was a whir of activity. Burly workmen went to and fro, like ants in an anthill, carrying building materials, tools and the like. Asriel couldn't help but feel horribly out of place; cleaned, groomed and clad in his finest amidst the dirty, overalls and hardhat-wearing construction workers.

_"Hey, you there!"_

A gruff voice called out.

Asriel spun around to face the voice, finding a stout and burly worker coming for him.

_"Are you the monster representative"_

The man asked, still coming straight at him.

Asriel immediately stood to attention, hoping to make the best possible first impression.

 _"_ Yes _sir! Asriel Prince Dreemurr,_ uhh _, I mean Asriel Dreemurr, Prince, uhh, that is"'_

_"Smooth move"_

Flowey deadpanned within him.

He gulped as the worker stopped up in front of him, looking him up and down as if appraising him. Suddenly, his expression turned to one of relief and sympathy.

 _"Good, I'm glad I caught you before you... headed into the_ lion's _den"_

Asriel raised a questioning eyebrow.

_"Oh? What do you mean?"_

_"_ It's _the guy you're supposed to meet;_ Lawson, _has something of a reputation amongst the firm, a real hardass"_

_"Golly, is he that bad?"_

_"Worse, but look, whatever he says, I just want you to know that you have me and my boy's thanks"_

He turned and pointed to a finished hallway, covered by a tarp to keep the wind, dust, and rain away.

 _"That hallway your crew, heh, "stole" from us is built on some pretty damn thin and sandy ground; it would have been weeks of hard, thankless work to build it without your,_ uhh _, magic"_

_"Oh, I didn't know that"_

Asriel answered in a hopeful tone.

_"Well, now you do, bud. Your boys spared us a lot of hard work"_

The foreman finished.

_"I'll be sure to remember that"_

He answered.

The foreman gave one last grateful nod before turning to leave.

Asriel looked over to the still bare-bone food section, finding a suit-clad human taking shelter from the sun, standing beside a map sitting atop a pile of pallets.

_"Lawson, huh? Alright, let's see what you got"_

He whispered to himself, as he started towards him.

_"Bet you 5 gold you can't hit him with a fireball from here"_

Flowey prompted.

_"I don't think incinerating a lawyer would be a very smart move, Flowey"_

_"Sounds like cowards talk to me. Coward"_

_"Pfft, as if. I could hit him, I'm just weighing peace higher than 5 gold"_

_"Whatever you say, goat-chicken"_

As he entered the food court, the waiting human turned to face him. He was a tall, wiry, lanky and gray-haired, with a pair of round glasses covering a set of icy-blue eyes that shone with coldness.

_"Who the hell are you?"_

He asked, looking absolutely bored and unimpressed.

Asriel stopped up, momentarily stunned at the lawyer's tone, they didn't usually speak like this, did they?

Throwing the thought aside, he wondered how he should greet him. He didn't seem overly friendly, so a handshake might seem too presumptuous, a hug certainly would and a simple wave would just seem silly.

Instead, Asriel proudly clicked his heels together and performed a crisp military salute!

_"Asriel Dreemurr, Crown Prince of Monsters, At your service!"_

Asriel chirped a bit too enthusiastically.

_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"_

Flowey screamed inside his head.

Immediately, Asriel felt a lump of regret form in his chest. Yeah, that was kinda stupid, he thought.

The lawyer, however, didn't react in the slightest, instead upholding his impatient glare and raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

 _"Asriel? I was told I would be meeting with_ Asgore _"_

Asriel lowered his saluting hand, well noticing that the human was refraining from using his or his father's royal titles.

 _"I'm afraid my_ da _\- the king became indisposed by an unforeseen matter, bu-but I can assure you, I am fully empowered to act in his stead"_

Asriel fired off, already feeling himself withering under the human's cold glare.

 _"Ah, I see, so when_ Asgore _can't be bothered to show up, he sends his whelp of a son instead?"_

Asriel gulped, once again taken aback by the lawyer's hostile attitude. It only made sense, though, they were outside of Ebott, and the law was on the human's side here; the lawyer had no reason to maintain decorum. Even more, Asriel was a full head and shoulder taller than the human, and yet, the lawyer's presence felt almost crushing, choking.

_"Uhh, so, you must be Lawson, right?"_

Asriel asked, hoping to deflect the question.

The human simply nodded tiredly, before turning to face the map.

Asriel swallowed down his trepidation and tried to ignore the cold sweat building up on his back, then moved to join Lawson at the table.

Noticing the monster following suit, the lawyer gestured a hand over the map.

_"So, **Nastyrel,** how do you propose we solve this massive mess you've made?"_

Asriel grimaced at the obvious bastardization of his name but managed to keep his cool.

_"I- I was hoping that maybe... possibly, monetary compensation would be... adequate?"_

Asried said, inwardly cursing how his building fears were handicapping his speech.

The human, in turn, sighed deeply, took off his glasses and began polishing them with a handkerchief he retrieved from within his suit.

_"Listen, **Estirel** , I realize you probably got this case dumped on your lap at the last minute, but I would have appreciated if you had at least done a bit of homework"_

_"Uhh"_

_"You see, the people I work for, they don't money, they need branding, recognition, they need their name to be on as many places as possible, and your massive blunder with the hallway is a serious offense, you understand?"_

The lawyer finished, placing the glasses back on his face, while flashing a wolfish grin,

Asriel held up his paws, feeling his resolve crumble under the human's barrage.

_"I-it's not that m-massive, I- I mean, it' just- it was a simple, uhh, mistake?"_

He tried.

The human huffed a dark laugh in response

_"A simple mistake? Hah, that's funny; my wife said the exact same thing when she shagged up with another guy at the mayor's masquerade ball last year. Didn't keep me from feeling hurt and betrayed though"_

The human said in a deceptively jovial manner.

Asriel simply stared at the human, fearing where it was going, and already feeling faint.

_"My point it, simple mistake or not, you've done a lot of damage, and you'd better do a hell of a lot better if you want me to keep this out of the courts"_

Asriel stifled a breath, panic beginning to settle in. He had to put some of the pressure off himself.

_"W-well, what do you suggest then?"_

He offered. He knew it was a dangerous ploy; it meant passing the ball on, letting the human take on a more offensive role, but at least it could make it a bit easier on himself.

The human shrugged.

_"A section of the food court would be a good start"_

He suggested.

Asriel cursed inwardly, this was exactly what he had been told to avoid, but there was no going back now.

He leaned forwards, gazing down at the map. It was roughly divided into 6 large colored shapes, with the food court a bright red in the middle, and the sports section a bright green attached to it's right. He had seen and studied a few building blueprints before, most noticeably when they had built the surface castle and later on, the city hall, but it still often seemed a jumble of strange words, weird shapes, and chaotic colors.

Sweat dripped from his brow, creating small wet blotches on the map as his eyes darted back and forth, looking for anything substantial enough to satisfy the human, yet inconsequential enough that it wouldn't hurt monsterkind in the long run. He could practically feel the human smile in triumph at the other end of the table. If he didn't find something soon...

_"THERE!"_

He shouted with unintended jubilant desperation, as he hammered a finger down on a small square.

Lawson jumped back with a surprised yelp at the goat's outburst, but quickly composed himself, and moved to look.

_"A... coffee shop? **Astael** , I seriously hope you're joking, this is-"_

_"I'M NOT!"_

Asriel burst out, once again with far more vigor than intended. He took a moment to calm down, running his finger along the map to indicate various points as he spoke.

_"Ju-just... look here, the shop itself is small, yes, **but!** It is conjoined with the heat and water service room right beside it. And see here, this wall runs along both rooms, more than enough real estate for advertisements and the like!"_

He finished his rant, feeling his heart beating strongly, and leaned back from the table.

_"Do-don't you think?"_

He finished.

Lawson actually nodded at the offer.

Asriel felt an intense relief flood his body. The small coffee shop had been a godsend! It made for a good place for advertisements, and the heat and water service station meant that the opposing firm could earn more trough contracts with the heat and water companies. And it wasn't even that big.

_"Not bad"_

The lawyer agreed, as he slowly retracted himself from the table. Once again, he flashed a wolfish grin.

_"But not quite good enough"_

Asriel felt the light sensation of victory turn to a heavy glob of bitter defeat within his chest.

_"Wh-what?"_

_"Don't get me wrong, it's a good offer you've made; better than what I would have expected from one such as you"_

He cocked his head to the side, giving a wry smile.

_"But I don't have to settle for "good""_

Asriel gulped.

_"Th-then what d-do you suggest?"_

Without a word, Lawson retrieved a red ball-point pen from his breast pocket, and in one swift move, drew a large circle on the map.

A circle covering 3 quarters of the food court.

Asriel's eyes went wide in disbelief.

_"This...this...no!_

He stuttered out.

The human calmly rounded the table, placing a surprisingly sympathetic hand on Asriel's shoulder.

_"It's just business. I know about the situation you and your father are in; you need this. But... as the slighted party in this situation, I get to decide, and I've decided to be MERCYful, and let you keep a quarter"_

Asriel slowly craned his head to look at the human at his side, shock evident on his face.

_"It's either this or nothing, for, believe me, if you take this to court, we will rob you, your family and everything your pitiful band of mongrels is worth..._

_...legally, **Basturil** "_

The human finished, with a dark whisper.

_"Why are you doing this?"_

Asriel asked quietly, but with a rumble that belied a coming storm.

_"As I said, it's just business. Nothing-"_

_**"No! It's not just business! This is my people's future you're dealing with here!"** _

Asriel suddenly burst out, smacking Lawson's hand away, and turning to face him fully.

_**"You can't just bully us like this! It's not right! It's not fair! Just because it's legal doesn't make it right!"** _

He continued with fierce anger, shoulders heaving and falling with each breath. He was well aware that shouting at humans was pretty much the biggest no-no his father had taught him regarding surface politics, but this was simply too much.

_"Just because we made one small mistake, doesn't mean you can just do whatever you like! It was better that we built that hallway, anyway"_

Asriel finished, remembering the human foreman words outside.

Lawson took the angered monsters outburst with a measured response; retreating a few steps, but holding an amused expression.

Which then turned to one of gleeful triumph.

_"Are you implying, Mr. Dreemurr, that you building that hallway was intentional?"_

He suggested with coldness.

Asriel felt a sudden surge of panic course trough him.

_"NO! I didn't mean it like that! I mean, I-i talked to one of the uhh, foremen and he-"_

Lawson calmly retrieved a black device from his pocket and pressed a button.

_"...It was better that we built that hallway, anyway"_

Came Asriel's slightly distorted voice from the voice recorder.

A feeling of utter defeat settled on his shoulders.

_"Sounds to me like we've got a pretty clear-cut case of Intentional Breach of Contract"_

Lawson suggested with a wicked smile.

_"No! You're taking it out of context!"_

_"Perhaps, but as long as the judge and jury don't know that, I got more than enough ammunition to ensure you and your pack of animals never threaten the livelihoods of hardworking humans ever again. And in truth, that's all I came here for, so thank you for your cooperation"_

_"I... We'll stop you!"_

_"Ha! Good luck with that! We'll see if they take this evidence over a monsters words"_

With that, the human calmly pocketed the voice recorder, picked up a suitcase, tipped his head in a mocking farewell and turned to leave.

Asriel, in turn, collapsed onto his knees. His head swimming and vision darkening as the immense sensation of loss, failure, and shame threatened to make him faint.

This had gone way worse than he had feared. Not only would they now lose the food court, but they might even get sanctioned, perhaps for all time. He had failed, failed, failed, failed, failed, failed, failed.

The sound of a mechanical clicking noise made him look up. He found Lawson, standing a few meters away and pointing his cellphone at him.

_"Oh, don't mind me, just had to take a picture to show to the boys back at the office"_

_"Wh-what?"_

Asriel responded with a choked voice.

_"Hehe, imagine it! Lawson! The first human to make the almighty Crown Prince of Monsters break down and cry!"_

The prince gently moved a paw to his muzzle, feeling a few traces of wetness criss-cross his fur. Dammit, he was crying as well.

With a final chuckled, Lawson put the cell away and left for the black Mercedes.

_"Wow... I have been soulless for god knows how long, and even I'm Impressed!"_

Flowey prompted with amusement.

Asriel, however, didn't answer. There was nothing to say. He had just sealed the ignoble end of his people.

_"Hey, cheer up, Azzy! If we're lucky, they'll have completely forgotten about how you totally swindled that construction contract in, oh, I dunno, a few hundred years."_

_"But... I didn't..."_

Asriel tried.

_"Nope, but that's what they think, so that's what's true. Now, would you kindly get us home? I can't wait to see the look on your old mans face when you break the news to him! WAHAHAHA!"_

Asriel put his hands to his ears and shook his head.

He couldn't even imagine how disappointed they would be, his mother who had such belief and hopes for him, and his father, who had spent so many years preparing him for this, only for him to mess it all up in the worst way possible.

…

But no, he HAD to tell them; that would be the least he could do to even begin to atone for his failure.

With a heavy heart and wet eyes, Asriel rose from the floor and made for his car, not noticing the human foreman and his crew shooting him a sympathetic look from the sides.

He collapsed into the driver's seat.

To think; just a few minutes ago, he had sat here, full of happiness and joy, being with Frisk.

Oh god, Frisk. How would she react...

As if the fates themselves saw fit to punish him, Asriel's cellphone suddenly exploded into life with the loud tune of"Eight Days a Week", startling him.

He quickly recovered, pressing the cell in under his right ear.

_"Howdy, this is Asriel"_

_"Howdy, son"_

Came the somewhat nervousness sounding voice of Asgore, his father.

Oh no, why did he sound like that? Did he already know? How could he!?

_"Uhh, are you still in the capital?"_

His father continued.

_"Yeah, I, uhh, just finished the meeting as matter of fact"_

He briefly considered revealing his failure, but thought better of it; better say it face-to-face.

_"Great, could you... could come to the congress hall? Soon as you can?"_

Asriel glanced out the side window, he could actually see the top of the building from here.

_"Yeah, sure. What's happened?"_

_"It's... It's the Icebreaker Candidates, Asriel"_

His grip tightened around the steering wheel, eliciting a strained noise.

No, not them too.

_"They... they're gone, Asriel!"_

Without dropping the call, Asriel tossed his cell onto the passenger's seat, put the car into reverse and sent it screaming into the streets, all thoughts of the events of the past 10 minutes all but forgotten in the face of an almost bigger crisis.

* * *

Meanwhile, another human, legs and feet sore from having to travel all the way up a mountain, likewise collapsed onto a chair, grunting in slight discomfort as he felt cold stains of sweat rub against his skin.

_"Where has thou been, mortal?"_

Asked a deep baritone voice.

The human lazily turned his head to face the giant, armored monster standing in the shadows. He was still amazed at how he managed to move around so quietly, despite his size.

_"Went out to order the bodies for the ritual"_

He answered tiredly.

_"Thou would betray thine own schemes?"_

_"I can't really "betray" myself, when it's my own plan, now can I? Oh by the way, could you prepare the truck? Going to need it for the pickup later tonight_ _"_

The large monster surged forward with a thunderous step.

_"I am not thy bootlick, craven cur!"_

The human sighed.

_"Then have one of your minions do it, I don't care"_

The monster stared ahead, steam billowing from its nostrils.

_"As thou say, but thou would do well to remember thine lofty promises, lest a fate of far grander diabolical intent descends upon thee"_

The monster finished, before quietly filing out the door.

_"Whatever..."_

The human huffed. Let this fool foster his dream of petty vengeance, as long as he helped him reach his own goal.

Destroying a few lives, and effectively, a few souls had galled him, but it was still a fair price if it meant saving the world.

Yes... yes it was.

As long as he kept reminding himself of that, he wouldn't falter.

He couldn't.

 


	5. Reliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, hiatus is finally over. In case you didn't notice, the previous chapter changed has been changed into a regular one.
> 
> Aside from that, it will probably be a while until the next one, as I'm working on another... related project. Something you might or might not see in the coming days :P
> 
> But aside from that, enjoy!

Frisk's apartment wasn't anything special. A common 4-roomed flat placed on the 3rd floor or an inner-city apartment block. It was roomy without being spacious, nice but rarely cozy and it's central location meant that she was never far from any happenings or events that could do with some coverage.

She shuddered a bit at the thought as she entered her apartment, locking the door behind her. There were still a few hours until her interview, but already her hands felt clammy; this was probably her biggest stint so far, and with such a heinous person to boot. Yet she had vowed to do her best and she would not be known as a quitter or a liar; her adoptive mother had taught her better than that.

She went around, doing what she usually did when settling in for a work week; taking stock of the fridge contents, checking the laundry, taking out the trash and just because she still had a few hours to kill, she decided to set a cup of coffee over. She smiled inwardly as she remembered the mournful look on her father's face when he had learned of her little habit. It wasn't that tea was bad by any stretch of the imagination, it just lacked the oomph needed to keep one on the go.

With that thought in mind, Frisk plumped down on her couch with her laptop, it would still be a few minutes before her delicious dark drops were ready, and if the previous Mondays were anything to go by, her e-mail in-box could do with some housecleaning.

Yup, there it was; a handful of hate mail, a couple of crafty spam mails that had eluded her filter, even a single birthday invitation from one of her coworkers.

But one mail, in particular, stood out; mostly because of it's all capitalized "VERY IMPORTANT!"and the fact that it came from their source within the capital's congress hall.

Opening it, she quickly realized just how important it was.

And how devastating it could be for monsterkind.

33 of the Icebreaker Candidates... just gone.

For a few moments, she just sat there, hands starting to feel cold, heart beating faster in apprehension and eyes dark at the possibility of the fallout this could cause. She was only wakened from her stupor by the "pling" of her coffee machine. She went for it; she needed a warm cup of coffee for more than energy now; her whole body felt icy cold, but worst of all was the growing fear in her heart.

Her dad and her brother would more than likely walk into a political bloodbath.

* * *

Red lights, honking horns and lots and lots of cars. Even 2 streets away, it became quite clear to Asriel that the news had been broken publicly, sitting as he was, in a traffic jam with news vans on all sides of him.

Everything about this day had just gone from terrible to almost hellish.

The Icebreaker Project was a social experiment started a few months after his crownquest, when the ban on leaving had been placed on Ebott. In a rare show of goodwill, the human government had agreed on a deal where 50 monsters, handpicked by Asgore and approved by a committee, would live and work in the capital for the span of 6 years, under almost constant surveillance, regular medical and mental check-up, all in order to ascertain whether or not monster and humans could coexist. Never mind that they had done just that in the years before his crownquest.

He still remembered the surprisingly difficult task of selecting these 50 individuals, as his father had asked him to help him with it. Asriel had thought that pretty much every monster could do; just go out unto the streets, grab some at random and ask if they would try, but his father had been more considerate.

True, most monsters were amicable, but they would need people of the right disposition and composition. Having the skelebros on the team was considered, but they thought better of it when they realized most humans probably didn't fancy having a living reminder of their inevitable mortality walk around in their streets.

But in the end, 50 individuals had been picked, they had agreed and so had the committee, and for the last 4 years, there had been no news, which in this regard, was good news.

Until now.

33 of them, vanished into thin air.

* * *

 _"King_ Asgore _, was it your decision to withdraw from The Icebreaker Project?"_

 _"King_ Asgore _, what will this mean for the future of any reunification plans?"_

 _"Lord_ Asgore _, does this move mean you have given up on any pretense of lifting the ban?"_

The barrage of questions from the pressing mass of journalists was unending. Asgore stood in front grand Congress Hall, vigorously holding up a fake smile at the questioning masses; sometimes giving a court nod of the head or a 1-sentence answer when suitable.

But it all belied the growing, almost suffocating fear and angst growing within in. He had spent almost all morning in Temmie Town, amongst its namesakes, and while the small critters were usually charming enough, they could also be exceedingly annoying; like a whole town full of screaming, shouting children all vying for attention and some of them even "dying" at the honor of meeting their "liege-lord" only to live up again soon after.

But even that paled in comparison to this. It was, perhaps, the 2nd most dreadful experience he had ever had. His people's last hope for the freedom that were them long overdue snatched away in the blink of an eye. It only made matters worse that the whole ordeal had been publicly leaked, and they believed that he himself was responsible.

He could feel it; this was too much. He was doing a decent job at keeping appearances, but he was falling apart at the seams inside. In the past 8 years, his experiences with surface world politics had worn down his once legendary patience. He liked to tell himself that it was just a sign of him getting old, but in his heart, he knew there was more to it than that. Lately, he had felt tired, been quick to anger and constantly fearful that the fragile armistice between the races would crumble at a moment's notice. It had been so bad that he had had to have tea-brewing equipment installed in his office, it being one of the few things that could calm his frayed nerves.

But tea was a weak alternative to a far better cure to his ailments.

His children; Frisk and Asriel. Having either of them at his side was like balm to the soul; dispelling his fears and doubts and reminding him of what he was fighting for.

And as he saw Asriel's car come to a screeching halt in-between 2 news vans, and his son rushing up the stairs to meet him, he was once again reminded of this.

Asgore stepped down and took him in, in a quick but firm hug. He would've wanted it to last a bit longer, but there were too many eyes watching. He pulled back, shifting his hands to grab his son firmly but gently at the shoulders.

_"I'm so glad you could come, Asriel. I'm not sure I could have faced the music alone"_

_"Of course I'd come, but, what's going on? What happened with the Icebreaker candidates?"_

Asriel asked, trying his best to ignore the flashing lights of the cameras and photographers.

Asgore shook his head dejectedly.

_"I don't know; I got a call, demanding that I come to an emergency meeting regarding my "Unapproved recall of 33 of the candidates""_

_"What!? Dad, did you-"_

_"No! I didn't! I don't know how this could happen..."_

Out of the corner of his eye, Asriel spotted a pair of burly security guards coming down the stairs, undoubtedly to bring them in for the hearing.

_"I guess we're about to find out then"_

Asriel said under his breath.

* * *

The meeting hall was a grand work. A huge circular room with a just as huge domed, chiseled ceiling, all held up by roman-like pillars, flanked by centuries-old paintings, sculptures, statues and other pieces of art. The only real dent in the atmosphere being a bright red "no smoking" sign hanging above the entrance.

It wasn't Asriel's first time there, but it never failed to impress. Even if the grandiose scenery served a bit more sinister purpose.

He knew it was meant to overwhelm the sense, to bamboozle the mind.

But the tension it could inspire still paled in comparison to the 23 men and women sitting around a semi-circular table in front of them. 23 of the country's most important figures, both in the business and political world. Centered in the middle sat Julian Manes, the graying but nonetheless sage-looking director of the Monster Integration Committee, or M.I.C. The group responsible for ensuring a safe and just integration of monsters into human society... or lack thereof.

Asriel supposed the director could have been worse. From what he had seen and heard from him, Julian was surprisingly neutral in the affair, despite his position as director, or perhaps because of it.

While he never seemed to further any effort made to hasten the integration, he also vehemently opposed every action taken against monsters unless there was a good reason behind it.

Asriel flanked his father's right, standing behind a speaker's podium, in full view of the assembled committee, standing on row like a pair of criminals. He tensed as he saw the director motion of silence.

_"I object, we can't start the hearin' yet; there's a pair o' wild animals loose"_

Came a baritone and accented, mocking voice.

Asriel instantly sneered in contempt as he traced it back to a bald-headed, smiling,obese man, leaning comfortably into his chair, wearing a suit that seemed about ready to burst from his bloated gut, and gingerly curling a fat cigar between his fingers.

 _"Sloanes..._ " Asriel hissed under his breath, at the sight of the fiend. Sloanes served as vice-director to THE biggest job creator in the country, having about 12% of the country's population on it's payroll. A business corporation spanning lawyers, industrial factories, shipping companies and even construction firms.

One of which was responsible for the sports section in the Weathergood Mall, Asriel remembered.

Sloanes was an absolute anti-monster activist, but unlike most others of his ilk, he made no attempt at hiding the obvious pleasure he took in crushing monsterkinds hopes under a corporate boot. While it was true the corporation he advocated could possibly suffer substantial losses from having monsters enter the job market and industries, he made absolutely no effort to at least try and find away to work together. Having monsters integrate meant change, change meant having to work and Sloanes really didn't seem like the guy to work.

_"I wasn't aware this was bring your kids to work day" Julian answered with an amused grin. "Want me to have the guards bring in some Nice-cream from the cafeteria? Have your kids settle down, maybe?"_

The rest of the room broke out in supportive chuckles and laughter, and even Sloanes had the sense to laugh at his own expense.

As the amusement died down, Julian leaned forward on the table. _"Sloanes, your "dislike" of monsters is well-known, but I would ask that you at least show King Asgore and Prince Asriel the respect they deserve as honored members of this committee. I will not tolerate such behavior in my court. Are we clear?"_

 _"Crystal, sir"_ Sloanes replied dismissively, before taking another chug on his cigar.

Apparently satisfied with the answer, Julian switched his view to Asgore, who gave out a funny breath under his scrutiny.

_"Now, King Asgore, do you know why you are here?"_

The king Stood up to his full height and stepped forward. As he did, Asriel glimpsed the sheen of his armor hidden beneath the robes he wore.

 _"I do"_ Asgore's booming voice affirmed throughout the hall.

 _"Then let's dispense with the briefing and just jump right to_ it _"_ Julian said, opening up his hands in a questioning manner.

 _"Where have the gone?"_ The director asked. Immediately, every head snapped to attention at Asgore, awaiting his response.

Asgore shuffled nervously on his feet before replying.

_"I do not know, sir"_

_"Are you sure?"_ Came Julian's doubtful reply.

 _"Of course I am! Why should I-"_ Asgore burst with an angry tone, just barely stopping himself. He looked over his shoulder at his son, feeling his rising gall subside at the sight of his calming smile. The procedure and the fact that he had to answer to so many people that would seek his people's downfall were infuriating, but seeing the reminder of what he fought for, he could just manage to swallow his pride.

 _"I... do not know where my people have gone, Honored Director, nor do I see the reason_ to  _the suspicion placed upon me. I would have nothing to gain from prematurely backing out of the Icebreaker Project"_

The director held his gaze, thinking the words over before nodding his head.

_"That's what I thought, some people here actually lobbied to have you arrested on the spot for your... assumed lawbreaking. Nevertheless..."_

Julian took a moment to look around a few of the assembled council members. _"The disappeared Icebreaker Candidates were all under the strictest scrutiny and security available to us. I have been told that even one of them disappearing, nevermind 33 of them, was all but impossible. Which only leaves one possibility"_

He returned to look at Asgore, with a worried frown.

 _"Magic"_ The director finished bluntly.

 _"Do you have any proof of this?"_ Asgore hurriedly asked.

 _"The lack of evidence is evidence in itself. No one could have kidnapped so many candidates without us noticing. Which only really leaves magical means as the only possibility. And as the only one's capable of utilizing magic..."_ The director offered, letting the unfinished sentence hand in the air.

 _"I assure you, I, and everyone I know, have nothing to do with this"_ Asgore responded strongly, utilizing the full weight of his deep, booming voice.

The assembled council members settled into small groups of hushed whispering and mumbling, arguing whether the king's statement was true or not.

Julian lowered his head in concentration, no doubt trying to gauge the general feeling of Asgore's innocence.

After a few moments, he looked up again.

 _"Alright, guess we'll have to widen the search then"_ He concluded.

 _"What!?"_ Came the almost gurgling voice of a surprised Sloanes. _"Yer' lettin' 'im of the hook so easily!? The man's guilty, can't ya see!?"_

_"Unless you have been withholding new evidence, Sloanes, there's nothing that proves Asgore's direct implication in the matter"_

Sloanes scowled furiously, but nevertheless retreated back into his armchair, and took an angry chug of his cigar, almost biting the thing in 2 pieces.

 _"I humbly request that the search efforts be headed by us_ " Asgore asked, silencing the few whispering councilmen in surprise.

 _"I'm sorry?"_ Asked the befuddled director.

_"As king of monsters, I have a duty to see that no harm comes to my people, and if what you say is true that magic is involved in their disappearance, then who better than us to find them?"_

Asriel felt an immense sense of pride swell in his chest at his father's words. He almost seemed to be glowing with the nobility of them, but that was more than likely a subtle magic trick to make him seem more impressive.

The director pondered the offer with an amused expression. _"That is a... interesting proposition, King Asgore. Are you sure of this?"_

_"Absolutely, sir. We will find them, and bring whoever is responsible to justice"_

Julian nodded his head in an agreeing motion. _"Well... I approve, King Asgore"_

For the first time during the whole proceeding, Asriel saw his father's posture ease a bit.

_"Thank you, Honored Director. I swear we will do out utmost-"_

_"Not so fast"_ Julian interrupted _"While I certainly approve of you leading the investigation, my fellow colleagues might not, and contrary to appearances, they aren't just for show"_ Julian said, as he spread his arms to gesture at his fellow councilmen, most of them laughing halfhearted at his expression.

Behind the podium, Asriel felt the onset of a cold sweat. Of course, it had to be like this. A major decision like this couldn't just be made by one person. Almost everyone in here could be affected by having monsters searching the city in one way or another.

 _"Gentlemen and gentleladies, if you're ready, we'll start the vote now"_ Julian prompted. In front of every council member, a small screen, ringed by a red and green button rose from a shall hatch in the table.

Asriel nervously tapped his feet on the floor, as he regarded the councilmen. Some immediately pressed a button, while others re-read their papers, pondering their choice.

Despite the massive challenge it would be, Asriel deeply wished for the vote to pass in their favor. In truth, no one in Ebott knew the first thing about criminal investigation and the like, but the thought of him sitting in his office, going trough endless stacks of written garbage, while someone else was looking for the missing people, felt like such a dereliction of duty it almost made him feel sick.

In front of him, Asgore stood, paws folded behind his back. Even a few meters away, Asriel could hear his breathing, tense and heavy.

 _"Alright, time's up"_ Julian called. The small screens sunk back into the holes, and behind, a huge painting of some ancient battlefield rose upwards, revealing a just as huge flat-screen hidden behind it. As if seeking to immediately dispel any tension 3 rows of lines quickly appeared on it.

11 green lines. 11 red and 1 yellow, abstaining one.

Julian checked his screen before looking over at Sloanes with a surprised expression. _"Sloanes? You... abstained? I would have thought for sure you would be against?"_

The bloated bureaucrat gave off a wet laughter _"And yer'd be right, Jules, but, if I may, I'd like ta' give the king o'er there an offa'"_ He said, turning in his chair to face Asgore.

 _"What it is?"_ Asgore asked, failing to hide his displeasure. Sloanes took a few seconds to revel with a malicious, victorious grin. _"Now see 'ere, little king, I can un'erstan' that yer really want this thing to go trough, yeah? So how's'about a friendly wager, huh?"_

Asgore couldn't help but let out a low, angered growl _"Go on"_ He nevertheless asked.

_"Hah! That's the spirit! Now, what I offa' is this... I give you my vote, AND 1 month with which ta' find yer little mongrels"_

_"Sloanes..."_ Julian protested.

 _"1 month... and if we fail?_ " Asgore asked.

The smirk that crossed the fat man's face was one that would have made even Flowey cringe in fear _"Then ya' hand o'er the rights to Ebott Mountain"_

Asriel had to grip the arms of his chair tightly to keep himself from jumping up in protest.

Ebott Mountain. Just about the only noteworthy natural landmark within their territory. Very few still lived down there, but that wasn't the cause for alarm. The mountain was an extremely important part of their people's history. They had spent hundreds of years there, thriving despite the lack of sunlight, fertile soil and many other things. It was like a monument to their people's determination and refusal to give up hope and surrender to fate.

It also happened to contain a great bounty of gold ores, their single largest income.

Losing the mountain would mean giving up a great part of their identity, as well as stripping them of what wealth they had. His people would go poor, they would go hungry.

They might even lose hope for the future altogether if they lost Mt. Ebott.

 _"I accept"_ Asgore said in an uncharacteristically uncaring, calm voice.

 _"What? But dad-"_ Asriel said flustered as he rose from his chair, but was quickly silenced by a stern look from his father.

Sloanes clapped happily, accompanied by a booming laughter. _"Then it's settled! I might not fancy you misbegotten creatures, but I hafta' say, I guess those horns of yer's aren't just fer show!"_ He said in a sickeningly jovial tone.

 _"Sloanes, I'm warning you, one more insult and I will have you thrown out of this room!"_ Julian cautioned.

The fat bureaucrats only response was to lean back in his chair, with a smile that reeked of satisfaction and victory

* * *

The old human king, Valantis, had once told Asriel that while humans were supremely proficient at destruction, they were just as good, if not better, at rebuilding what they destroyed, often stronger and better than before.

If that was the case, he wondered just how many had laid down their lives and souls to build such a vast city, as the one he watched trough the passenger's seat window. The meeting had ended and his father, who had been dropped off by Papyrus, had opted to drive them both home.

So now, here they sat, father and son, prince and king, both bearers of different news that spelled disaster for their people. For just a second, he thought back to the nightmare he had had when had accidentally fallen asleep in his office. All of monsterkind, screaming for his downfall, for the removal of the monarchy because of some unknown slight.

But did he know now?

This was probably one of the most disastrous days they had ever witnessed after returning to the surface. Looking down, he noticed his hands shaking, and his mouth felt dry from heavy breathing.

To his side, his father seemed like an unmovable statue of calmness in the storm, but Asriel knew the better of it. The way he was staring dead-ahead on the road unflinchingly, darkened by a gathering of stormy gray clouds as it was. Even just the fact that he hadn't immediately started up a friendly conversation told him enough. His father was just as troubled, if not more so, as him.

 _"Why is it like this?"_ He whispered out loud, only to be met with silence. For a moment, he wondered if his father had even heard him.

 _"Why is it like this, dad? We can't... things just ever go right?"_ Again nothing more than a whisper, but it gave way to something greater. Like a small fracture quickly growing large and expansive, bringing down his inner walls.

_"Dad... why am I even here? I shouldn't be... I keep trying to make sense of it, but... I just can't! I keep failing and the world just seem to be content and watch!"_

At this, his father finally showed some reaction, turning to look at him with wet, heavy eyes.

So many times he had done bad... Chara had died because he was too afraid to tell his parents of their plan, and they in turn had been heartbroken when he had turned to dust in their arms. He had even failed to die properly, instead turning into a floral abomination. Him, the prince, the one who should be caring for, protecting and looking after the people, instead indulging in every want and desire he could think of just because he was bored. Then Frisk had come and offered their soul, and once again he had failed, failed to convince them of the better solution to just simply let him be. Then the crownquest, which he had succeeded in, but only due to the sacrifice of a far more noble spirit than him, a victory bought with the dust of another.

And now this; he had cost them perhaps their only chance at lifting the ban, and because of his fathers brash actions, they would more than likely lose Mt. Ebott as well.

Even if he had no input, even if there was nothing he could have done, fate seemed more than happy to just keep shoveling dirt in his face.

 _"I shouldn't be here... I don't want... I should be dead_ "

Suddenly, his father brought the car into a violent turn. Asriel choked on his words as the sudden motion sent his seatbelt into his throat. The car stopped and as he looked out, he saw they were parked to the side of an empty stretch of highway, crossing the countryside.

 _"You're wrong, Asriel..."_ His father said with a quiet voice, but there was no mistaking the heavy, guilt-laden pressure behind them.

_"I don't know why things like these keep happening. Sometimes I wonder if coming up to the surface was a mistake. Sometimes... I even want to just give up on... everything. Bah, some king I am. I swore to keep our people's hope up, yet I can barely do so myself"_

Asriel looked on as his father spoke. All the time, he had stared dead-ahead, completely unmoving.

_"But whatever goes on in my thick head, I want you to know, Asriel, that you have **nothing** to be ashamed of. Every day, when I read the reports, hear the news talk about our situation and the like I keep getting struck by this immense sense of failure. I have made many mistakes in my time as king, things that keep me up at night, but knowing you, Frisk and everyone else is happy and well keeps me going. It's **all** that keeps me going"_

He took a deep breath and exhaled, a motion that completely shocked Asriel in the way it seemed to change his father. His shoulder sunk low, his head bowed down and his chest seemed to almost deflate completely. The great king Asgore, his father, seemed smaller and older than he had ever done.

_"That's why... hearing you say these things and thinking these thoughts... it hurts more than you can possibly imagine, my son. I'm well aware that I've failed at being a good king, and ever since that day in the royal gardens, I was utterly convinced that I was the most wretched father on the planet. But I thought I could get past it. With you all at my side, I thought I could at least begin to make peace with my many mistakes"_

He turned to look at Asriel. The prince himself was already in tears at his fathers words, but he was still surprised to see the same diamond-shaped drops on his fathers grief-stricken face.

_"I love you more than anything in the world, Asriel, and would do anything, **anything!** To ensure your happiness, and I will do that... because you **are** worth that, Asriel. I have watched you grow up, and my heart still swells with pride every time I see you, and I'm confident the same can be said for your mother, so don't you **EVER** dare think you shouldn't be here, and that you don't deserve to live._

_Because you do... which might be more than can be said for me"_

At that, Asriel immediately reached up for his father, and the king responded in kind. Holding each other close, thoughts shifting between the hardships they had and would face, and the sheer joy of knowing that whatever happened, they would still have each other, as well all their friends. The bond between the father and son glowed brighter than it ever had.

After a while, Asgore broke the comfortable silence, speaking with a soothing voice _"Hehe, golly, look at us! Sitting and bawling like a pair of crybabies"_ He said, his voice shifting from the almost growling tear-choked to chipper _"Now, how about we head home so we can put this dreadful day behind us?"_ Asriel pulled away, and reached up to wipe a tear away with his paw _"Yeah, I think I'd like that"_ he said.

With a parting smile, Asgore settled back in properly in his seat, and started the car up again, sending it back on the highway heading home.

 _"Why don't you take the day of as well? I'm sure a good day's rest would work wonders_ " His dad started.

_"You sure you don't need me to come in? I mean, if we-"_

_"I'm sure I can handle one day without you, I'm not THAT broken yet"_

_"Hehe, alright then"_

_"Oh, and Asriel... I'm sorry about the, hah, "devil's deal" I made back there"_

_"You mean the one with that creep, Sloanes?"_

_"Yup, I was just... angry, I couldn't stand that smug grin of his, couldn't back down. I thought I_ could show him up, but I'm afraid I _just played right into his hands instead. But I promise you, we WILL get trough_ this in once piece"

Bolstered by his father's words, Asriel clasped a paw on his shoulder.

 _"Together!"_ He insisted.

 _"Together"_ His father concurred.


	6. The calm before the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, been a while, hasn't it?
> 
> I apologize for my tardiness but school, as well as my other work; Dark Tale, has kept me a tad bit busy. 
> 
> Hopefully, the length of this chapter will at least make up for a bit of it :)

Fridays were, to most people, one of the best days of the week. It signaled the end of a work week and promised days of rest and relaxation. In that regard, Asriel had it the same way as most others.

But he also had another reason to be joyful for the occasion.

Fridays also meant that Frisk would come and stay over the weekend, and in truth, it was a relief he and his dad could really use. In the days following the discussion about the disappearance about the thirty-three monsters, the suits had, like a predator smelling blood leaking from a wounded animal, pounced upon them, increasing the amount and sheer nonsense of the law proposals they had sent to Ebott.

It had been one of the roughest weeks in politics Asriel and his dad had ever suffered, but no w it was finally at an end; all they had to look forward to was a long weekend with friends and family.

And Shatterday, the annual celebration of the shattering of the barrier was tomorrow, the whole kingdom would be engulfed in song, laughter, and festivities.

Despite the terrible week, one memory, more than any shone brighter and clearer than all the others; the Monday morning where he had driven Frisk to her apartment, and the talk about him finding a queen.

And his thoughts about making Frisk that queen.

This week, he had faced two of the worst political incidents Ebott had suffered in a long time, but still, that one conversation had filled his mind more than any.

And tonight, he would... at least try to take it a step further.

He looked over at the passenger's compartment  _ “After the show...” _ he whispered to no one in particular.

Already, Asriel was almost giddy with excitement, tapping his feet and humming along to a tune on the radio  in his car, as he drove towards the capital to pick up Frisk . His father had taken the investigation into the disappeared monsters into his own care and so far he had held his cards close to his chest.  Asriel was fine with that, he supposed, already his  blunder at the construction site had weighed heavily on him and plagued him in his dreams, but in the face of the upcoming events; Frisk and Shatterday, he could easily bury his fears and concerns, for now at least.

 

_– \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

When he arrived at Frisk's apartment building, Frisk was already standing with packed bags, ready for the weekend, although he was a bit dismayed to find her on her cell. As he got out of his car, they waved to each, but it was a far cry from their usual ritual, which was a big hug and just a little bit of muzzle-to-shoulder nuzzling,  but he couldn't really do that now.

A strange thought occurred to him as he casually walked over to greet her; he had never really seen her on her cell before, who could she be talking to? A friend? As far as he knew, Frisk hadn't made any friends in the capital and had kept it mostly professional with the people she worked with.

But that still didn't leave out the possibility of her having one, did it?

For some reason, the thought made him feel uncomfortable.

 

_“ Alright, see you soon!”_ Frisk finished with a cheerful tone, immediately followed up with an  “AZZY!” as she leaped up to embrace him,  suddenly pla n ting a quick but deep kiss on the side of his muzzle.

 

_“_ _ M _ _ ' _ _ waah!” _

_“_ _ G-golly, you're awfully chipper today, Frisk” _ Asriel answered with a spreading blush.

_ Well, duh! I've missed you, and it has been a rough week... for both of us” _

_“ Yeah, you can say that again” _ Asriel finished with a sigh, as he put Frisk down.

_“ So, ready to head Home?”_ he asked.

_“ Actually... I was wondering... how'd you liked to go out for lunch with the skelebros? I just got off the cell with sans – supposed to meet them in an hour at Grilby's”_

 

Asriel looked away for a moment, looking contemplative  _ “I d _ _ on't know _ _ , sans and I... and did he even ask for me? _

_“ Well, no, but come on! At least Papyrus would be excited to see you”_

_“ Heh, he would be excited if you showed up with Jerry”_

_ I guess, still, it's been so long  _ _ since we did something together” _ Frisk finished, putting on that adorable face she always used when  she couldn't convince with words .

 

Asriel, for his part, smiled back, feeling what little resolve he had against Frisk crumble at their cute assault. He sighed  _ “I just can't say no to you, Frisk” _

She grinned victoriously _“Good to know I got the prince of monsters so thoroughly under my_ _thumb_ _”_ she said and started to walk towards his car.

Asriel chuckled in response and picked up Frisk's suitcase  _ “You know it's  _ _ too late _ _ for  _ _ lunch _ _ , right? It's 17:15”  _ He called back.

_“ Then we'll call it “Linner” or “Dinnunch” or whatever”_ she answered. Asriel laughed once again.

 

But d espite his good mood, a sense of unease settled in his stomach .

Sans...

The only one, aside from his parents, that seemed to know about his floral past, and the one that had been his biggest enemy and cause of resets when he had lived it. He had never really liked the stocky skeleton and as far as he knew, the feeling was mutual. During his crownquest, sans had proven to be of crucial help, but he knew he hadn't helped because he liked him. He had simply done so because all of monsterkind hanged in the balance.

 

_“_ _ Aww, why'd you go and do that? You know you're pretty much just gonna be fifth-wheeling, right?”  _ Whined Flowey from within.

_“ It's not that bad”_ Asriel said quietly, making sure Frisk was too far away to hear _“Who knows, maybe this could be the start of something great”_

_“ You don't honestly believe that_ _ ”  _ Flowey deadpanned, more a statement than a question.

_“_ _ And what about the movie tickets ya got in the passenger's compartment? I was reeeeaaalllyy looking forward to watching that new MTT flick”  _ the flower continued.

_“ Don't worry, it doesn't sta_ _ r _ _ t until late this evening, I'll ask her out when we're done with this lunch thing” _

_“ Whatever you say, boss” _ Flowey finished as Asriel reached the car and settled in behind the steering wheel.

_– \-------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

_“_ _ SANS, I REALLY MUST COMMEND YOU; IT'S GOOD TO FINALLY COME OUT OF THE HOUSE WITH YOU” _

_“ uh huh”_

_“ I WOULD HAVE HOPED FOR _ _ SOMETHING OTHER _ _ THAN GRILLBY'S, BUT I SUPPOSE IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING” _

_“ yup”_

_“ WOWIE, YOUR EXCITEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY INFECTIOUS, SANS! I ALMOST CAN'T GET MY HANDS DOWN”_

_“ i know, right?”_ sans nodded along. He supposed it had been a while since he had been out with anyone else and if it wasn't for the dread premonitions he had had the past few days, he still wouldn't.

But if he had to deliver a message of potential doom and gloom, he figured he might as well make some fun out of it.

 

_“ THERE'S THE HUMAN!”_ Papyrus shrieked  _ “AND WHAT IS THAT MAJESTICAL MOUNT SHE IS RIDING UPON? THE ROYAL STEED?” _

 

sans looked over, finding Frisk sitting atop, to his dismay, Asriel's shoulders. He scowled. Dammit, why did the prince have to show up? The exact reason he had only invited Frisk was because he had hoped whatever he told her would filter back to the prince and, hopefully, the king. There was a lot of bad dust between him and the Dreemurr.

 

_“ Uncle Paps! Dunkle sans!”_ Frisk called with glee as she jumped down from Asriel's shoulders and ran to meet them.

_“ SALUTATIONS, LITTLE FRISK”_ Papyrus greeted  a s he took her into a hug a swung her gently around.

 

_“_ _ 'sup”  _ sans said in his usual laid-back tone and held up a bony hand for a high-five.

_“ Nope, not falling for that again!”_ Frisk said.

_“_ _ heh, yeah, I suppose the old material would be wasted on you.  _ _ o _ _ h, but your shoelaces are untied” _

_“ What, really?”_ Frisk said as she looked down, finding a hotdog tied to her boot by her shoelaces.

_“ What the...”_

_“ y'know, i'm not usually one for putting my foot in my mouth, but in your case, it might not be such a bad idea”_ sans finished and turned to look at another, white-furred figure approaching.

_“ prince asriel” _ he greeted in an uncharacteristically formal and neutral tone.

_“ sans”_ Asriel greeted back in the same manner.

_“ *GASP!* THAT IS NOT A STEED, BUT THE PRINCE! HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO EASILY DECEIVED!?”_ Papyrus shrieked, answered by a laugh from Frisk and Asriel.

_“ It's good to see you, too, Papyrus, it's been too long”_ Asriel said, placing a paw on Papyrus's shoulder.

_“ That it has”_ Frisk agreed, smiling warmly.

_“ you'd almost think there's a reason for that...” _ sans said under his breath

 

_“ I hope I don't intrude too much. Frisk invited me along and, well, I couldn't say no” _ Asriel said with a slight embarrassed blush.

_“ NOT AT ALL! YOUR MERE PRESENCE HAS TURNED THIS OUTING FROM A SIMPLE DINNER INTO A ROYAL FEAST!”_

_“_ _ Hehe, I think you'll find the difference to be quite arbitrary”  _ Asriel answered and looked up at the big glowing neon sign of the restaurant.

 

_“ Grillby's, huh? Haven't been here in a long time”_

_“ AND NEITHER YOU SHOULD! I'M AFRAID MY BROTHER'S NOSTALGIC LOVE FOR THIS GREASE TRAP HAS CLOUDED HIS MIND!”_

_“ well, it's not like we could just leave for the capital to find something better, is it?” _ sans said with just the slightest hint of accusation, and Asriel felt a dim, shameful heat form in his chest.

_“ Whatever the case, I'm starving. I've been living on nothing but ramen and cup noodles this whole week!” _ Frisk eagerly said and started for the door, followed closely by the rest of the group.

_– \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

Inside, the group readily found a table, but as they made to sit, Frisk stood  at the end of it and fixed the skelebros with a smile.

_“ Mr. sans, _ _ M _ _ r. Papyrus, I would like to take this chance to express my humble but deep gratitude  _ _ at your invitation” _ she said with a high-class tone that just bordered on sounding arrogant but wasn't quite. She followed up with a clearly practiced and immensely graceful curtsey. 

_“ you_ _ ' _ _ r _ _ e _ _ welcome”  _ sans started.

_“ WOWIE! I'M NOT SURE THAT EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, COULD SOUND SO GRATEFUL!”_ Papyrus seconded.

_“ That was... beautiful”_ Asriel finished, complete adoration in his eyes.

_ Frisk smiled warmly  _ _ “Thanks! I've been practicing a bit of courtship; have an interview with Countess Gospodar in a few days”  _ she said as she scooted in to sit beside Asriel, across from the Skelebros.

Asriel softly grimaced _“Gospodar, isn't she a_ _n_ _anti-monster activist_ _?”_

_“ One of the biggest” _ Frisk agreed with a nod  _ “But there's a rumor going around that she is involved in some kind of underground slave ring” _

_“_ _ wow, first the chief of police and now this. does toriel know about the kind of company you keep?” _ sans joked.

_“ Frisk knows what she's doing!” _ Asriel growled back at the skeleton, who responded by calmly leaning back in his seat and holding his hands up.

 

_“ Easy...” _ Frisk whispered to him and gently  p laced a hand on his leg.  T he few seconds of silence that followed easily told Asriel of the awkwardness of the situation he had made.

_“ WELL, NOW THAT THAT IS OUT OF THE WAY”_ Papyrus suddenly began  _ “LET'S GET TO ORDERING! I SUPPOSE EVEN MY ESTEEMED SELF CAN BE MADE TO EAT WHATEVER CALORIOUS CARNAGE THEY MAKE HERE” _

_“ sounds good to me” _ sans agreed.

_“ I want a big burger!” _ Frisk declared with a small jump in her seat. Asriel, in turn, went over the menu list. The Dreemurrs rarely went out to eat with other monsters due to their status as boss monsters giving them an appetite that bordered on the insane. Already he had spotted five different courses he would have that could put a grown human in the hospital. He also noted, with no small amount of satisfaction, that each meal had the option to be made with either monster or human ingredients.

_– \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

I n the end, sans had a simple order of fries drowned in ketchup. Papyrus ordered the “finest” mea l on the menu, which turned out to be a quite fancy ratatouille. To his lament, however, it arrived covered and dripping with cooking oil. Frisk, true to her word, got a greasy burger, and while most people might have found the sight of a young woman biting into such a thing, Asriel only found her nibbling into the burger cute.

The prince, in turn, had a large taco, a small lasagna, a decent sized snail and salad pizza, a T-bone steak  and  two baked potatoes with a large side of fries.

As ever, the rest of the group had eyed his assembled course with some amazement, but the delicious smell coming off of it was more than enough to make him ignore their stares.

 

As the evening progressed, Frisk and Papyrus conversed happily and eagerly, while Asriel and sans kept more reserved, and the prince was under no illusion that his presence was what was causing the usually talkative skeleton to be so reticent. Only once had he started something.

_“ so, how's king fluffybuns doin' in that missin' monsters case?”_ he had asked. Asriel had had to quickly swallow down a slice of pizza to respond. _“Well, uhh...”_ _he began as he_ wiped some ketchup sauce off of his muzzle with a handkerchief _“He hasn't actually told me that much. B-but I'm sure he'll get to the bottom if it, eventually”_

_“ AS AM I! WORRY NOT, BROTHER, OUR GREAT KING WILL SURELY SEE THIS MATTER TROUGH”_ Papyrus piped in. 

_“ hope you're right” _ sans said with a shrug  _ “word on the street is that a few monster families have already fallen down, though, somethin' about their sons and daughters going missin' didn't sit too well with them, apparently”  _

_“_ _ Wh-what?” _ Asriel said, shocked, the fork he held in his paw slid out, clattering onto his plate.

_“ oh, you know, the usual whenever someone loses hope. still, shouldn't keep our “great 'n'graceful” prince from enjoying a hot meal and cheap laugh with his buddies, right?”_ sans said, as he directed a mocking smirk at the prince.

Asriel supposed he should have been angry at the veiled insult, but he was too shocked. Had some of the relatives of the missing monsters really fallen down? He supposed it made sense, but how come he hadn't been made aware of that? That some of them were suffering so much?

…

The pizza in his mouth suddenly lost all taste.

_“ I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY, SANS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP ONE'S SPIRITS UP WHEN FACED WITH SUCH A DEVILISH GAME OF HIDE-AND-SEEK!” _ Papyrus said, and reluctantly downed another bite of his ratatouille.

 

Asriel, on the other hand, could do no such thing. He felt rotten sitting there while his people suffered and stupid for not realizing that it would happen. Even as Frisk gently rubbed his arm and asked him if he was ok, he couldn't do anything more than offer a small nod.

_– \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

When, at length, the dinner finally ended, Frisk had hurried off to the ladies room while Papyrus had gone to the kitchen to offer a few tricks and hints to Grillby on proper cooking.

Which left just Asriel and sans waiting at the car.

 

Asriel had quickly bought a large bucket of peach yogurt over the counter when he had realized that and was now hungrily slurping it, his long tongue rolling around in the bucket. He had only bought it to give him something other to do than talking with sans, but he had been immensely surprised at how good it was!

Nevertheless, the skeleton stood, back to the wall and regarded him with his usual smile.

_“ isn't that delicious?”_ he suddenly said.

Asriel almost choked as he heard those familiar words. Words from another time and another him.

_“ Umm, uhh, yeah, actually, it's amazing. Want some?”_ he answered nervously, and reached out with the bucket, not noticing the thick layer of drool his tongue had left behind.

The skeleton answered with a short laugh and shook his head.

_“ you sound surprised, “prince” Asriel. i would have thought you would have “goaten” used to it by now” _

Asriel slowly retracted his offered bucket of peach yogurt and sighed.

_“ Alright, sans, what's this about?”_ he asked.

_“_ _ well, first off, why did you come here?” _

_“ Because Frisk invited me”_

_“ and that's despite you knowin' i would be here here as well?”_

_“...Yes”_

For a few tense seconds, there was silence between the two. sans's gaze on the prince was unwavering, as if deep in thought.

_“ alright” _he suddenly started with a roll of the shoulders _“that's about as honest an answer i could have hoped for, only fair i give you the same, right?”_

Asriel didn't move a muscle as the skeleton drew in breath.

_“ first off; i've never really liked you”_ the skeleton said in a completely unaltered tone of voice as if he had just said another one of his puns.

Asriel's answer was simple but heavy exhale. He had always figured as much, but nevertheless, having it confirmed made a knot of sadness form in his chest.

 

_“ not that it matters that much”_ sans continued  _ “remember what I told you back on the boat? that you didn't have one bad bone in you? well, i still believe that; that you're a good kid...” _

_“...or at least something playing the part...” _ he silently added, his pupils gone, only for them to reappear immediately after.

_“ you're our prince, and it won't be many years until you'll be our king; soon, every monster's hopes and dreams will be lying on your shoulders, and our continued presence on the surface will be in your paws”_

Once again, sans's pupils disappeared.

_“ and i have waited for far too long to let a murderous chump like you take that away”_

_“ sans...”_ Asriel tried, hurt.

_“ you might not, but i still remember how you almost made a snack out of the old human king, how you lost control”_

_“ B-but sans, that wasn't me! That was Flowey!”_

_“ the same flowey that's still inside you?”_

_“ Well... yeah, but Frisk took his determination! He can't influence me anymore”_

_“ i think you're missin' the point here, princy. you _ _ **can** _ _ lose control, and i don't think you need anything more than a very,  _ _ **very** _ _ bad day for that to happen” _

 

Asriel shuddered, remembering how Flowey had told him almost the exact same once.

_“ heh, even better, did you know your wikipedia page mentions you as a potential threat to world peace? courtesy of your little crownquest escapade”_

_“_ _ sans, you don't understand, I've spent practically my whole life making up for my mistakes. I know you don't trust me, but I swear, I would  _ _ **never** _ _ do anything to endanger monsterkinds safety” _ Asriel said, surprising himself with how confident he sounded.

_“ guess we'll see in a few years, won't we?”_ sans replied, unimpressed.

 

_“_ _ oh, there was another thing. something's gonna happen tomorrow”  _ sans suddenly started again.

_“ It's Shatterday”_

_“ well, duh” _ sans deadpanned  _ “believe me, papyrus has been remindin' me all month. but no, it's something else. call it a gut feelin'” _

_“ I didn't know you could have a gut feeling”_

_“ sure _ _ i  _ _ can, can feel it right in my bones.  _ _ i  _ _ guess what i'm saying is; you should probably keep your head down tomorrow” _

_“ Why? What's going to happen?”_

_“_ _ i  _ _ dunno, that's why it's a gut feelin', maybe it'll rain or somethin'” _

 

_“ MY GOODNESS, THAT GRILLBY SURE IS A CHARACTER! I THINK I CAN _ _ UNDERSTAND WHY YOU LIKE TO EAT HERE SO MUCH NOW, SANS!” _ Papyrus suddenly blurted as he rushed out of the restaurant and down the stairs to join the silent prince and skeleton  _ “SANS, I GET THE OVERBEARING SENSE THAT I HAVE INTERRUPTED SOMETHING DIRE!” _

_“ nah, it's nothin'”_ sans replied _“_ _i_ _was just givin' the prince our farewell, wasn't_ _I,_ _princy?”_

_“... right” _ Asriel replied coldly.

_“ whelp, guess we'll see you two later. _ _ i _ _ 'll keep an eyesocket out for ya”  _ sans finished with a shrug and turned to leave down the darkened streets.

_“ FAREWELL, PRINCE ASRIEL! THIS WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE ROYAL FEAST!”_ Papyrus declared and made to follow his brother.

_– \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

When Frisk had exited the restaurant, Asriel had quickly shown her the 2 tickets to the cinema he had hidden in his car's compartment, lest he'd forget them in the face of sans's little warning. Of course, she had happily agreed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands, a gesture more than heartfelt enough to make Asriel completely forget the whole exchange with sans had ever happened.

 

The movie was a horror-comedy by Ebott's premier superstar, Mettaton himself; widely panned as being “stupid but  hilarious ” and had even been received well outside of Ebott.

 

Asriel, for his part,  was too preoccupied by his own thoughts to pay any attention. So much had happened this week, and most of it bad.

But the one thing he thought of the most was the human sitting beside him.

Frisk writhed in her seat and giggled at a scene in the movie, and Asriel almost felt as if he could melt into his seat. If he were to simply expire there and then, he wouldn't even be remiss.

 

_ S _ o many owed so much to Frisk, and him more than any. He owed her life itself; if not for her, he would still be stuck Underground, alone and cold. Instead, he now sat in a cinema, a multitude of emotions roiling inside him.

But most of them were of love, of that he had no doubt.

 

_– \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

When the credits finally started to roll, the pair made their way out into the warm summer night. The light from the city meant that there were no stars in the sky, but the vast, infinite pool of darkness still had a beauty of its own, full of possibility.

_“ That was awesome!”_ Frisk declared with a pep in her step. 

_“ Did you see when he jumped out of that cake and started dancing!? I couldn't breathe!”_

_“ Heh, if we're lucky, perhaps he'll do the same tomorrow”_ Asriel said with a smile.

_“ Tomorrow? What-” _ She froze with sudden realization.  _ “Oh my gosh! It's Shatterday tomorrow!” _ she practically shrieked.

_“ And now the whole neighborhood knows”_ _Asriel_ replied with a small chuckle.

_“ Guess we'll have to turn in early then, huh? If we want to see anything” _ Frisk said.

_“ Yeah, I bet mom is furious with us for staying out this late”_

_“ Whoops! Better hurry Home then!”_ Frisk said and ran for the car. Once again, Asriel was taken by just how... “Frisk” she was. Just her simply running eagerly for the car, laughing as she did, was enough to make him sigh in contentment.

Perhaps he should take the chance.

 

 _“ Hey, Frisk”_ He called. Frisk stopped, and spun around on her heel to face him _“_ _What's up, goatbro?”_ she replied with a gleeful smile. 

Immediately, every alarm inside Asriel went off, telling him to stop.

_“ DON'T DO IT! SHE'LL HATE YOU FOREVER!”_ Flowey screamed inside him, followed by a cackle.

Maybe... now wasn't the best moment. What is she got too overexcited and she had a soul-switch? And this was the start of the weekend; whether she said yes or no it would just make all of it awkward.

In the real world, all of this was symbolized as a single sweat-drop that formed on his brow. 

_“ What is it?” _ Frisk asked

_“_ Sunday” he thought.

_“ Uhh... just... thank you, for going to the movies with me”_ he said with a wavering voice.

She smiled back and shook her head.  _ “You silly-billy, you invited me, I should be the one thanking you!... but, you're welcome” _

 

“Sunday” he repeated inside his head. “Sunday, I'll ask her, then she'll have the whole week to consider” 

_ I _ t sounded reasonable enough, but a voice inside him,  Flowey's notwithstanding, still chided him for chickening out.

“Sunday” he repeated once again “then... I'll ask her”

_– \-------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

The young human watched the camera screens showing the holding cells with a rising sense of self-loathing. 10 humans and 33 monsters filled the cells,  some resting on their cot beds, some trying to get the attention of the guards, and a few sitting in a corner, crying.

Those were the problem.

They had been here for almost week now, and already a few of the monsters were showing signs of falling down. If they did before the ritual, they would become useless, and then he would have to find more.

And thereby ruin even more lives.

 

_“_ _ I doth not understand” _ rumbled a deep, gravely and proud voice from behind him  _ “If watching the captives brings thee such torment, then why do so?”  _

The human was once again both fascinated and creeped out by the monster's ability to come so close without him noticing, despite its massive size and heavy armor.

_“ They're suffering in there”_ he answered solemnly _“Only right I do the same”_

_“_ _ Sympathy is not a weakness unless thee allow it to become so” _ the monster advised.  _ “Furthermore, it is misplaced. On the morrow, thine initial scheme will be brought to fruition, and the prisoners will be granted their freedom” _

The human nodded, not entirely convinced.  _ “It take it that's why you're here, then? Is it ready?” _

The monster reached inside its armor with a gauntleted hand and retrieved what looked like a black bullet.

But this was no ordinary bullet. Crafted from materials only found within the soul, and seemingly eating away at the light around it. It's origins in mind, no wonder the monster would only touch it with a steel-plate gauntlet.

_“ We art treading on dangerous grounds here, mortal. I sincerely hope _ _ this plan of thine is worth the cost it took to mold this... aberration”  _ the monster said, with a tinge of disgust in its voice.

_“ Don't worry, if your man can complete the hit tomorrow-”_

_“ He will. I am not in the habit of harboring incompetent soldiers, human”_

_“ WHEN he completes the hit then, yes, we will have saved the world from a gruesome fate”_

The monster nodded, apparently satisfied and put the strange bullet back in his pocket.

 

_“ Tell me, human, what doth thee intend to do once our endeavor tomorrow is done?”_

The human limply threw his arms aside and looked askew.

_“ Sheesh, I don't know. By tomorrow, I'll pretty much be an accomplice to kidnapping, human-monster trafficking, and murder. Or, well, regicide, I suppose”_

_“ Thee will surrender to the authorities?”_

_“ I guess. I mean, with what I-” _

The human's words were forced back down in his throat, as a large battleaxe suddenly materialized in the monster's hand and slashed into his throat, scissoring him between it and the wall.

For a few dreadful seconds, the human was convinced he had been decapitated, but when he opened his eyes he saw and felt that the axe's edge was expertly angled downwards, so that the blade cut deep and painful, but without killing him. Yet, he knew that if the monster was to just add a bit more pressure, or move it aside just a tad, he would either lose his head or have his throat slit completely.

 

_“ Most peculiar...” _ rumbled the monster's voice, slow and steady despite the violence  _ “I was under the impression that we had a pact” _

The human's panicked,  confused eyes darted from the axe to the monster  _ “B-but tomorrow, he'll die! That was the deal, right? I h-help you get your revenge a-a-and you- _

_“_ _ **SPINELESS WORM!”** _ Bellowed the monster, and the human whimpered in fear.

_“ Did thee think I would be satisfied having mine vengeance served by the viles of an assassin? Nay...”_

The monster lowered its head close to the humans, and he closed his eyes in utter terror as he felt its hot breath waft over him.

_“ Listen well, mortal. I will not be content until Dreemurr dust coats the edge of mine blade and if thee cannot provide me with that, then I may just consider renegotiating the “deal” that keeps thine head attached to thine shoulders. Art we clear”?_

_ The human nodded feverishly, complimented by what should have been a yes, but came out as a fearful, choked whimper. _

_“ Most excellent...” _ _ t _ he monster said and pulled his  axe back, turning to leave.

_“ Mine patience wears thin, mortal. Bring a Dreemurr to me or suffer the consequences... Prophet” _ with that, the large monster disappeared out of the door, leaving the human alone once again.

 

I t had only lasted a few seconds, yet he was drenched in cold sweat and was close to dry heaving. A large gash on his throat now bled crimson on the floor, the short rush of adrenaline was settling as a skull-splitting migraine in his head and he could feel his throat constrict, warning him of another asthma-induced seizure of breath.

He cursed out loud. In truth, this didn't change much. If tomorrow's planned assassination on the Dreemurr succeeded, then it wouldn't matter whether he was killed or arrested, but he'd still rather the later than the former.

And then... another Dreemurr, dead?

And did the monster know about his abilities? He had been too scared, too panicked to use it, but if he had, even that large brute would have been reduced to a mewling, whimpering wretch.

 

He slumped back onto a chair, feverishly searching his pockets for his painkillers. Luring a Dremurr down here would be challenging, but not impossible. It would require planning, but then again that was one thing he did somewhat competently.

 

 

 


	7. Shattered Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, The Shatterday! A day of celebrating the past while looking forward to the future with renewed Determination. Surely, nothing could ever ruin such a joyous occasion...
> 
> ... Or perhaps, something could.

Asriel narrowly stepped out of the way of an incoming spear-stab, retaliating with a swift swipe of his staff that his opponent effortlessly parried.

 _"_ _You're resting too much on your back-heel"_ Advised the warrior fish, Undyne, in between her attacks. _"_ _Stand more lightly, easier for you to dodge that way"_

Asriel was too preoccupied doing just that to give a proper response.

He bashed another incoming stab harshly to the side. Undyne, however, used the momentum to spin around, intending to deliver a backhand blow. Asriel just barely managed to duck under it and aimed a strong poke at the fish's now unguarded shins.

But of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Undyne nimbly raised her foot and stomped down on his staff as it came in. He barely managed to keep a hold on his weapon, but he was unbalanced, too unbalanced.

He stepped back, but before he could proper regain his footing, he felt a slight stinging pain in his throat; Undyne's spear, tip pointing directly into his throat.

 _"_ _Nice move, switching focus of attack like that"_ she observed with an amused expression.

Asriel gulped, silently wishing she would remove the spear tip from his throat already. _"_ _If it was that good, how did you counter it, then?" He asked._

 _"_ _I saw it in your eyes"_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _You looked at my shins for just a second before you ducked"_

 _"_ _Oh wow..."_

 _"_ _I told ya, it wouldn't be so easy, now that you don't have a human soul"_ Undyne finished and finally removed the spear from his throat.

Asriel looked down at his hands. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss the power granted to him by Frisk's soul at least a little bit. Back then, he had been able to beat Undyne in a sparring match easily, his magic, mind, and body moving and acting with incredible speed and power. Since then, his training with Undyne had increased his skill and strength dramatically, but he was still nowhere near the level he had been 4 years ago, and most likely he never would be.

 _"_ _Alright, chump, time to hit the showers!"_ Undyne hollered from the benches in her backyard sparring arena _"_ _I'm sure they're missing ya down at the market, and I don't wanna keep ol'Asgore waiting"_

Shatterday, the annual celebration of the day he and Frisk shattered The Barrier, and he and the rest of monsterkind finally returned to the surface. A day of celebration, games, joy, and festivities.

And, way less fun, speeches.

Usually, King Asgore would deliver the annual state of the nation during Shatterday, and today was no different, but he had also subtly suggested to Asriel that he should make an appearance as well. It wouldn't be long before his crowning and he had perhaps kept himself too far away from the spotlight. To alleviate at least some of the stress, he had take an early morning sparring session with Undyne.

…

But, in truth, that wasn't the only reason.

 _"_ _Hey, Undyne?"_ He began, already twiddling his thumbs in nervous anticipation of her reaction.

The warrior fish simply turned her head to regard him with a raised eyebrow.

 _"_ _Oh boy! Here we go! Full steam ahead to raging fish-vile!"_ Flowey gleefully exclaimed within his head.

 _"_ _Do you think we could, maybe... move training indoors next time?"_ Asriel asked, desperately wishing she wouldn't press the issue.

 _"_ _Why?"_ she asked. Dammit!

 _"_ _Well, uhh, how to put this... there's this new law thing the suits will have in place by the end of sunday, and, uhhh"_

 _"_ _What is it?"_ Undyne barked, more an order than a question.

 _"_ _Well... it makes so that monsters aren't allowed to practice any kind of, ehh, combat... and they're going to send in flying drones over Ebott... for surveillance..."_

Asriel withered under the unbelieving gaze of Undyne, he knew she wouldn't take the news well, but he had to come clean quickly.

 _"_ _Bu-but that's why we could just take it indoors! They-they wouldn't be able to see us then! So we-"_

He barely managed to parry Undyne's sudden lunge, and he stepped back in surprise. Undyne quickly followed up with a swipe aimed at his legs, too fast for him to do anything about, other than brace himself for the painful impact as he fell. Once again, he felt Undyne's spear pressed painfully into his throat but this time, there was a malevolent stint to it, as if she might just actually do it.

 _"_ _U...Undyne?"_ he asked with shaking voice.

 _"_ _Just... what the heck... ARE YOU AND YOUR DAD DOING!?"_ she bellowed at the prone prince.

 _"_ _I-I'm sorry! We tried protesting, but-"_

 _"_ _Oh, you protested!? Well, guess we couldn't ask anything more of ya then! How tough it must have been on ya!"_

 _"_ _Undyne..."_

 _"_ _8 years, "prince" Asriel, it's been 8 years and it's worse than ever! I can accept not being able to leave Ebott, but now they're taking away our privacy as well!? Friggin' drones!?"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry..."_ Was all that the quivering prince could manage. He knew she wouldn't take the news well, and they had vehemently protested – what else could they do?

He felt the spear tip being removed from his throat once again.

 _"_ _Get out of my arena..."_ she hissed quietly.

 _"_ _Undyne..."_ he tried, but she just shook her head in response.

 _"_ _At some point, ya gotta ask yourself just what this "peace" of yours is worth, 'cause I'm not sure it can be called that anymore..."_ she uttered quietly.

 _"_ _Now... GET. OUT!"_

Quick as he could, Asriel sprang to his feet and made for the exit. Yet, once again, his ever-present companion, that smoldering core of shame in his chest, was with him. He earnestly did believe that he and his dad couldn't have done anything else, but he was under no illusion how tame "protesting" sounded. Yet, it was all they could do... wasn't it? The peace with the humans had to be maintained at all cost, lest another war break out. But was the price of peace really becoming too steep?

* * *

 

Frisk happily strode down the great plaza in which the shatterday festivities were held. All over the city, there would be merriment and joy, but nowhere near as much as the city center.

It was hot out and the sun was high. Frisk wore a creamy-white and yellow skirt, her regular boots, and a white, short-sleeved t-shirt bearing the Delta Rune. She passed several booths, some selling refreshments, pastries, candies and the like, others hosted special games. One such displayed a row of moving mirrors, if one could shatter them, either with a ball or magical projectile, they would win a price. This was, of course, symbolic of the shattering of the barrier.

Another booth had a puppet theater going on, in the middle of the final scene of its play. She watched as the puppet representing herself freed a young Asriel from a cage hidden inside a dark room, and with his help, shattered the barrier.

_…_

For some reason, it seemed wrong. She still didn't know anything from before the 4 years she had lived with the Dreemurrs, but still, something told her that the play was wrong, somehow.

She shrugged, throwing the thought away. Shatterday might be an occasion for celebrating the past, but it just as much a way to spread hope for the future.

She continued her stroll down the market, towards the great scene at the end. Here and there, monsters waved and greeted her, thanking her for all she had done. She still didn't know exactly what that was, and she had promised her parents to no ask just yet, but she was grateful nonetheless.

She passed a group of monsters made of living flame, perhaps Grilby's family, performing a great, colorful pyrotechnics show. She even saw, with no small amount of happiness, small groups of humans here and there. Just as the monsters were banned from leaving Ebott, so were humans forbidden from entering, but that didn't stop many from sneaking trough the cordon every year to take part in shatterday, enjoying the hospitality and generosity of monsterkind. One such group immediately pointed fingers and started shouting with excitement once they saw Frisk. They swamped around her, begging for a picture with the "savior of monsterkind" Frisk happily agreed and placed herself in one of the poses she always saw Mettaton do. The picture taken, the group hurriedly ran off to other ventures, one of them shouting with glee as they went to pick up a sleeping temmie, only for its legs to expand off the ground as they did.

Frisk laughed with quiet contentment, before continuing on.

Finally arriving at the scene, she found the first real scar in the otherwise serene exterior of the shatterday festivity. Rows of Royal Guards stood before the scene, clad in gaudy and colorful clothes so they didn't seem too serious, but it was hard to camouflage their large halberds and axes.

Luckily, many saw the Royal Guard as just another attraction, and many monsters, especially those with children, ran up to the guards, asking for pictures with the likes of Greater Dog, Dogammy & Dogaressa, Doggo and others.

Frisk spied rushed shadows beneath the scene curtains, no doubt Asgore's speech would be soon. She quickly bought starfait from a sour-looking, cat-like monster, before finding a seat.

* * *

 

 _"_ _Friends! Family! What a joyous occasion it is to see you, assembled around the values with which we have built this city, and with it, our futures!"_ Asgore's proud, booming voice resounded across the assembled monsters _"_ _It brings me great pleasure to see that even in these rough times, we do not forget the obstacles we have faced and surmounted and that we press on with renewed determination"_ He grabbed the podium a bit tighter, and slightly lowered his head _"_ _And what a time_ _it has been. As most of you probably know, recently, a whole 33 of our numbers disappeared from the human capital. I know many of you are still grieving the loss of your loved ones during this time of uncertainty, but I implore you, please! Do not despair and do not give up hope. I will do everything in my power to see our missing people returned to us safe and sound"_

A small round of applause followed Asgore's speech. From behind the scenes, Asriel almost couldn't help but join in. The disappeared monsters were all everyone was talking about, and it was good to know his father was working hard on the case. As per tradition, Asgore wore his plate armor and cape, the same he had worn when The Barrier had been shattered and he had spread the news. Asriel himself had taken a quick shower at Home, before switching out of his training robes into his more formal, dress like one, although he still kept his off-shoulder cape, his own little touch, he liked to think.

Up on the stage, Asgore returned to his speech; the general state of Ebott and what to look forward to. Asriel grasped the paper in his hand a bit tighter. His own speech – not much more than a "Howdy! I'm still here!" but it was still more than daunting enough that cold sweat had started forming on his brow, and his paws were clammy.

 _"Be at ease, my child_ _"_ Came the soothing voice of his mother, and he felt a paw being placed upon his shoulder from behind. _"_ _You have nothing to fear, our people adore you"_

He reached a paw up to join his mother's, smiling as he felt her words ease him, simple as they were. _"_ _That might be putting it a bit strongly. There's still some who think I blew up all those buildings and vandalized our old palace on Los Seunos all those years ago"_ He muttered.

 _"_ _You will convince them otherwise, in time. If not with your words then with your actions_ _"_

So simple words, yet they carried with them such a confidence that he couldn't help but believe them.

 _"_ _Now, I know you're all anxious to get back to enjoying all that the day has to offer, but before you do that, I'd like to present one of the people that made it all possible, one that is partly responsible for us being gathered here today, under the bright and beautiful sun. Please, my son; Asriel Dreemurr"_ Asgore's voice boomed as he steeped away from the podium, and Asriel moved up to take his place. The applause he received was noticeably more subdued than the one that had greeted his father. It was to be expected, though, in the time in-between him shattering the barrier and his cronwquest, all well as the time after, he had made virtually no noise publicly. There was a decent chance some of the assembled monsters had never even seen him before this day. Nevertheless, it was well known that he was the one that broken The Barrier, and to many, that still meant that held the little of "Hero of Monsters"

 _"_ _Howdy, folks!"_ He began _"_ _Yes, I am still alive, even if the news coming from my father's office might sometimes indicate otherwise"_ a few monsters laughed sympathetically. Good enough, he supposed _"_ _To be blunt, I don't have much to say, other than echoing my father's words. I know I haven't really been active that much, but I can assure you, I have not been blind or deaf to the plights that have assailed us these past few days"_ He took a few seconds to breathe, surprised by how well he said all that without stuttering. Nevertheless, the cold sweat was oncoming, and a single droplet was getting dangerously close to his left eye.

 _"_ _But it is important that we never lose hope. It is important that we always have something worth fighting, and living for"_ He noticed Frisk down at the rows of benches, she gave a small wave as their eyes met.

 _"_ _If not in our friends, family and loved ones then at least in the knowledge that we will see them again. For we WILL see them again, this... I promise. I hope that those of you who need it can find solace and hope in that"_

The audience was quiet but attentive, all eyes fixated on him. He even noticed Undyne, having apparently just arrived, clad in her usual plate armor, silently judging him from amongst the rows of Royal Guards.

 _"_ _Uhhm, that is all. Have a great Shatterday - "_

 _"_ _HOLY SMOKES! IT REALLY IS HIM!"_ someone called. Asriel scanned the crowd, befuddled. Suddenly, a young human man broke from the crowd and raced for the scene, closely followed by a group of his friends that shouted at him to stop. A few of the Royal Guard moved to intercept him, but the human proved remarkably agile and managed to go around them and leap up on the scene.

Asriel stepped down from the podium and faced the incoming humanoid projectile. He slowly reached a paw behind his cloak, feeling his fingers run along the quarterstaff in the magical inventory. The human didn't appear dangerous, but one never knew.

 _"_ _Thank god! I've been looking everywhere for you!"_ The tuckered-out human exclaimed.

 _"_ _I'm sorry?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, remember that guy you beat up on the boat to Los Seunos 4 years ago? I saw that!"_

Asriel's mind roiled at the sudden question. He did remember, but it seemed so long ago, and it was so out of the blue.

 _"_ _And would you know it!? I was living in a hotel opposite the one you blew up, and dude! I saw you beat up 2 armed guys!"_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _Yeah! Trough the window! It was awesome, man! So, could I, like, your autograph or- mmphh!"_

 _"_ _That's enough outta you"_ Said Undyne, as she wrestled one of the human's arms behind his back and wrapped her other around his head, to pull him off the scene.

Asriel could only stare in stunned amazement. He did remember his fight aboard the boat, and his near-death experience fighting Sam and Lee inside the burning hotel building, but that that should suddenly pop up again 4 years later...

He looked down, finding a postcard of Ebott, probably dropped by the human, and he leaned down to pick it up.

An autograph? It wasn't exactly the first time, but it certainly was the first time a human had asked him.

Why not, he would have the Royal Guard release him, and give him one. He hadn't intended any harm, after all.

 _"_ _Apologies, Prince Asriel"_ came a yelping voice, and he looked up to find Doggo, looking slightly askew.

 _"_ _He was just a bit too fast, but we'll get 'em next time, I promise!"_

Asriel chuckled quietly _"_ _It's alright, no harm, no foul, right?"_ He said. Doggo nodded, still looking askew. It occurred to him it might be because he could only see things that moved, and he gently waved a hand in front of himself. Immediately, Doggo's head snapped to attention, and he took a step to the side to face him properly.

 _"_ _Ah, apologies didn't see ya ther-"_

Almost instantly as his foot hit the floor, a great, loud bang, like the crack of a whip magnified by a hundred echoed trough the plaza.

And Doggo disappeared, evaporated into a small swirl of dust that gently blew over, covering the prince.

He immediately froze up, stunned, at first by the loud bang, but now by the hundreds of memories of him being covered in monster dust, dredged up once again.

Scream were all around him, but if they were from the panicking monsters fleeing the area, or the memories inside his head he could not tell. And the dust...

It was everywhere, in his eyes, in his nostrils, in his fur. The remnants of a once loyal Royal Guard sworn to his family's protection, gone in the blink of an eye.

 _"_ _Wha- wha... no..."_ Was all he could manage before he was suddenly tackled by Undyne, who picked him up and quickly threw herself and him into cover on the other side of the scene. She sat him down on the ground, immediately troubled by the thousand-yard stare in the prince's emerald green eyes.

 _"_ _Hey! Are you there?"_ She called. Asriel looked dead-ahead, trough her. His jaw quivered as if he was trying to speak, but no sound came, save small whimpers.

 _"_ _UNDYNE!"_ Roared the voice of Asgore, as he rushed to sit beside the shocked prince _"_ _What happened?"_

 _"_ _Oh thank the stars he is alright!"_ Interrupted Toriel as she joined them both before she could answer.

Undyne looked over the scene, to where the loud bang had come from _"_ _I dunno, I think someone-"_ For just a moment, she caught a small glimpse of a lens flare from atop one of the buildings overlooking the scene. Immediately, a desire for vengeance filled her. One of her guards had died today.

She fixed Asgore with a hard look _"_ _Wait here..."_ she simply said, as she stood up and dashed towards the building _"_ _UNDYNE! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?"_ Asgore called after her.

 _"_ _Hunting..._ " she said with a predatory smirk, uncaring whether he had heard her or not.

* * *

 

The building itself was packed with panicking and confused monsters. Undyne rushed up the stairs as fast as she could, but at every turn, people got in the way or even tried to stop her to ask what was going on. Nevertheless, she made good progress and upon reaching the top floor, kicked the door leading out onto the roof open.

The would-be assassin was still there, yet for just a second, Undyne was stunned in surprise at it being a monster, not a human.

A nearly 2 meter tall monster, with wings and the head of a bird, hurriedly packing what looked like a rifle into a suitcase. It wore a set of old-fashioned leather armor and a short cape, something Undyne for some reason thought she recognized yet could not place.

 _"_ _ **By the order of The Royal Guard, stand down!"**_ Undyne commanded and pointed her spear at the monster.

The avian assassin's head snapped to attention and a silent curse escaped it as it saw Undyne. It threw the now-packed suitcase at the captain and ran for the edge.

Undyne batted the case away with the ease of a practiced warrior and made to follow the feathered monster as it suddenly... leaped off the ledge.

It threw it's wings to the side. The armor it wore made it too heavy to actually fly, but it could still glide.

Undyne cursed. She couldn't just jump after it, even it that would be totally badass. There was only one thing she could do.

She hoisted the spear above her head and followed the rhythmic flap of its wings; up, down, up, down.

She breathed in... and exhaled.

And with that threw the spear full-speed ahead.

And directly skewered the monster's left wing.

She grinned devilishly as the assassin gave a squawk of surprise and pain as it began it's sudden descent towards the streets below. In truth, there was a good chance that a fall from this height could kill him, but the bastard had killed one of her soldiers; death was the least she could pay him back with.

* * *

 

The assassin crashed into the street below with a heavy thud and the crack of several bones snapping at once. For a moment he just laid there, afraid that simply moving would cause pain, only dimly aware of the ring of curious spectating monsters assembling around him

But then, slowly, he tried his right wing, still working fine, no damage. He tried his legs next; one seemed only slightly bruised but the other gave the painful sensation of shattered bone grinding together, completely shattered.

This was it, then, no way he would make it out of Ebott City.

With great effort, he barely managed to stand up, resting on his one unbroken leg, just in time to see the captain of the guard come out of the building and carefully make her way towards him.

 _"_ _Try anything funny, and you're going down, creep"_ she hissed at him.

He heard the clanking of other Royal Guard come up behind him.

He grinned darkly to himself. The captain was good, but these new Royal Guard were sloppy, useful for nothing more than ceremony, pompous lapdogs the lot of them. Not real Royal Guard, like him.

For instance, a real Royal Guard would never let himself be captured.

Ann orb of white fire materialized at the end of his unskewered talon. Immediately, the captain stopped up.

 _"_ _Put. That. Out"_ she warned.

This was it then. For centuries, he had served that coward Dreemurr and for yet more, he had hidden with his comrades-in-arms, but not anymore.

Today, his duty ended.

 _"_ _ **FOR THE GENERAL!**_ _"_ He shouted with all his might.

And clasped the inflamed talon onto his head.

The surrounding monsters shrieked in horror as the magical fire immediately enveloped the monster wholly. He fell to his knees, not uttering a sound as the fire seared his flesh and burnt him to dust.

Undyne could only stare, stunned. Not only at the seeming self-conflagation, but also the symbol that had been on the assassins front-side armor.

The Delta Rune.

And with that, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place inside Undyne's head and she remembered where she had seen the uniform before.

It was the Royal Guard's before they had fled underground.

 

 

 

 

 


	8. A New Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly a month has passed... I must apologize, but between the Christmas Rush, exams and a good deal of other shenanigans to contend with, I've been a bit preoccupied.  
> I'll try to get the next one's out sooner, but for now, the adventure is well and truly underway!

_“_ _Your guy failed”_ The young human said, _care_ ful to add just the right amount of accusation to make the monster feel shame yet without angering him.

“Do not mock me” He nonetheless growled back.

“I'm not mocking you, merely stating the facts”

“As if I hath need of that! Thee might not realize but this day, a dear brother-in-arms has fallen”

“... I suppose... you had known him for a long time?”

“Wretch! He hath accomplished more missions than thee have hath hot meals!”

“But he didn't accomplish this one!... and you know what that means. We have only one option left if we want to save the world”

“According to thyself, so-called “Prophet””

“Christ... are your scientists ready, at least?”

“They await naught but mine word”

The human looked slightly askew in trepidation. So this was it, then. Despite his wishes, but according to his dreams, their assassin had failed, made quite a mess of it too, something about lighting himself on fire in midst of a crowd of civilians.

They couldn't retrieve the bullet either and fabricating a new one would take too long. They only had one recourse left now.

It was monstrous, to say the least, he just had to remind himself it was all for the greater good. He could punish himself once it was done, but for now, there was the brutal physical and spiritual slaughter and butchering of both humans and monsters to be done.

 

“Give it...” the human ordered with a sigh. For a few seconds, the monster just stood, unmoving and the human almost wished he would deny him and take the burden off of his shoulders.

But alas, the monster finally turned around and marched out the door, stopping up just before leaving the room completely.

“I wouldst hope thee haven't forgotten thine promise. Mine vengeance will not wait eternally”

The human cracked a small smile. Here, at least, he had something to give. Luckily enough, he had had a dream just last night.

“The once-dead Dreemurr will come to the steel and glass city of men in search of answers and lost hope, borne on fusioned wings of magic and mechanicum” he said out loud, not looking at anything or anyone in particular.

“Bah! Thee provide me riddles when I ask facts!” The monster hissed back. The human only laughed quietly.

“What I'm saying is, you won't have to wait long. Don't worry, you'll have your fight and your vengeance...

… very soon”

* * *

 

A deathly silence had fallen over Ebott City. It was an early summer evening and the sun still shone brightly, if ever more red, upon the quaint settlement. Given the date, the streets should be filled with jubilant and celebrating monsters.

Yet, the streets were empty, the many stalls and booths stood abandoned. Behind the closed curtains of family homes shadows could be seen moving about. The citizens of Ebott having fled inside their homes, gathering their loved ones around them for safety and comfort as they each vainly tried to comprehend what had happened.

An assassination... carried out before a crowd of almost the entire city and televised to those that weren't there. Even if the intended target had escaped death, almost every single citizen of Ebott had witnessed a brave member of the guard shot and turned to dust before their very eyes. Some had even said they had seen another monster horribly burn to death. A sight so terrible that it had caused a few of the bystander to come close to “falling down”

Asgore recognized all of this with a heavy heart as he looked over the city from his office in the city hall. As troubling as the political scene had been, he had always figured that Ebott City had been a safe place for all monsters. Until today.

He knew it was cruel and malicious to think and he would probably never admit it to anyone, but he was immensely grateful for the twist of fate that had made Doggo take just 1 step to the side and take the bullet. If he hadn't, if the bullet had struck the intended target...

He instinctively moved a paw to his muzzle and barely managed to repress a sob as the mere thought brought him to near tears. He shook his head, composing himself and turned around, once again coming face-to-face with a strange memento of his past. There, on his desk, laid a charred and burnt uniform of The Royal Guard, predating the ones used before they had fled underground.

“So, what do you think of it?” Undyne asked from across his desk,

Asgore could only stare in quiet disbelief at the uniform. He moved a paw down and gently ran his fingers across its charred features, the pockets, the armor reinforcements, the stitched-in Delta Rune. He grimaced a bit as he even felt a few granules of dust.

The dust of the bastard that sought to kill his son, he remembered with a sudden hot anger in his chest

 

“All of The Royal Guard were wiped out in the war, save for those that managed to flee with us” He mused.

“Are we sure about that?” Undyne asked back. He didn't answer.

Undyne looked slightly to the side, incidentally landing her gaze upon a shelf and a book about the history of the guard which she, after the action with the assassin and his last words, had delved a bit into. 

"The Royal Guard used to have lighter armor, like this, but we switched to heavy plate when we moved underground because we didn't have a lot of gound to cover anymore" She said out loud. Asgore simply nodded. He had been there when that choice had been made, after all.

“The assassin mentioned a “General” and as far as I am aware, there's only ever been one general of the guard” She said.

A slight smile played across Asgore's face. Yes, he remembered him. “Your predecessor, yes. Oh, how I wish you could have met him” He said with fondness and turned to look out the window to the city once again.

“He was captain, but my father decided to elevate his rank and authorities just before the war. Golly, he was just... amazing, a true hero. Even kings, generals and lords of far-off human lands were in awe of his skill in battle, his genius in planning and his gracefulness in victory”

“Well, if he was so damn great how come we lost the war, then?” Undyne asked with slight envious tone.

Asgore sighed quietly “That, I do now know. My father sent him and his most trusted men on a mission just before hostilities broke out” He turned around, facing the warrior fish. A sad expression had fallen upon him “That was the last I saw or heard of him. I... can only assume he perished at some point”

Undyne regarded her king with some interest. Some of his words regarding this legendary general had been insightful.

“You knew him?... like, "knew" him?” she asked.

Immediately, the same wry smile from before came upon Asgore. He rounded his desk and stood face-to-face with the one that might as well be considered his other adoptive daughter and placed a paw upon her shoulder.

 

“Undyne, do you remember when I asked you if you would like to know how to beat me?”

She shook her head for a bit, flustered “Uhh, y-yeah, after you kicked my can the first time around”

“Do you know why I asked you that?”

“'Cause you're a big fluffy pushover like that?” She replied and have a playful punch to his shoulder.

“Hah, I suppose there is some truth to that. But also because what you did reminded me... I was once in your shoes”

He looked out the window. Undyne was almost shocked at the sheer peace that seemed to settle over the king as his eyes shone with joyful memories.

“What I asked of you, he once asked of me. You might think of me as your teacher, my dear Undyne, but what I am to you...

… He was to me”

* * *

 

Downstairs, in one of the guest rooms, the same silence that had befallen Ebott City was prevalent. After the shooting, the Dreemurr family had all fled to the city hall, about as secure a place as anyone would find in the city. Toriel sat in unrestful sleep in chairiel, watching over Asriel, himself... “sleeping” on a couch. Ever since the shooting he had been unresponsive, the sensation of being covered in the dust of a once-living monster dredging up an abyssal well of horrid memories. His eyes were still open and his muzzle seemed to twitch at times, almost as if he was talking in his dreams. One of the few words Toriel had been able to make out was, worryingly, “Flowey” the name of that horrible alter-ego that still plagued her son's soul.

Frisk, unfortunately, had not fared much better. In the wake of the shooting, the human had been so scared and fearful for her brother's life that it had triggered a Soul-Switch. The once placid and peaceful child had forcefully wrested a halberd from a guard, screaming and swearing bloody vengeance on whatever throne-taker would come for her next. Luckily, Undyne had been able to pacify her without anyone coming to harm and Frisk had regained her senses in their flight to the city hall. Not that she still fared any better. The shame of losing control at a moment when she had been sorely needed had made her hide herself away somewhere in the building.

Much as it grieved Toriel to leave Frisk alone, she could not leave her son. She knew Frisk would come around eventually, she was probably the most determined person on the planet – nothing could keep her down forever. It just hurt not being able to help her trough it.

Sometimes, the former queen almost regretted coming above ground. Underground, they had lived a peaceful, if somewhat cramped and dreary existence, but at least they were safe, happy and together. Twice now, since the shattering of the barrier, her prince had been inches away from becoming mere dust once again.

 

There was a slight stirring in the room. Almost unnoticeable, especially to a sleeping person yet Toriel woke up in an instant. It was Asriel, weakly and tiredly trying to sit up.

She was at his side in an instant “Oh my love, I was so worried for you. Are you alright?” She cooed. He tried to answer but all that came out was a dry, throaty cough.

“Good heavens, rest here my child, I will go get you some water” she said and made to stand up. Asriel weakly raised his head in to give a small nod of thanks and just for a second their eyes met. Toriel felt a shiver run down her back. They seemed... a bit duller, colder than before. Entirely his yet bereft of some of the warmth they had had before.

No, either her fear had made her misremember or she was just imagining it. Not that it even mattered much, she thought and made her way towards the cafeteria. She was well aware of her son's past and how much it tormented him, and no doubt the day's event had reopened a lot of old wounds, but she also knew that her little prince was stronger than he appeared to be. This wouldn't change or break him...

… she hoped so at least.

* * *

 

A few hours had passed since Asgore had been informed of his son's recovery from his shock induced trance-like state, and yet he hadn't left his office to see him.

'A good father would' he had thought to himself, but how could he ever call himself that? He had been the one to encourage Asriel to make an appearance on-stage and thus putting him in the line of fire. It was only trough sheer circumstance that he hadn't been the one to die there.

All because he wanted to prepare his heir for the time he would take the crown.

…

But would that even be the best course of action? He had no doubt Asriel would make a fine and just ruler, but the surface world wasn't exactly a fine and just place. Just the last few days had been hell for Asgore and he almost couldn't stomach the thought of putting his beloved son trough all that.

Perhaps... he should simply dissolve the monarchy once he stepped down? There were sure to be a few political savvy monsters that could be formed into some kind of government in his stead.

…

It was both mildly shameful and mildly appealing to consider. He would have to think about it.

 

Just outside the door to his office the self same heir calmly tried to regain his balance leaning into the wall. Despite only being out for about half a day his limbs still felt like jelly. He had been slightly worried that his father hadn't come to see him once he had woken up, so instead he would come to him. Perhaps he had problems of his own to deal with?

The door itself was slightly ajar and he sneaked a view in. His father sat behind his desk, face down and gently rubbing his temples. He looked... distraught, despairing almost.

Asriel gently pushed the door open and gave it a quick knock. His father looked up and immediately his features softened. He rose from his chair and quickly made towards him, meeting his son in a hug in the middle of the room. “Asriel... I'm so sorry about all of this”

Asriel nodded in response “It's ok, I'm fine now” Asgore gently broke away, holding his son by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes with a repentant look “Are you certain, my son? I can only imagine how horrible it must have been” Like Toriel, he too noticed a slight change in their child's eyes, as if what laid behind them had been touched, maybe even broken by today's events.

The thought, alongside everything else that had happened and were about to, made the great king turn around. He harshly closed his eyes shut and held a paw to his muzzle as a few sobs escaped him.

“Dad?” Asriel asked and placed a paw on his father's back.

“I'm so sorry, Asriel... it's all falling apart because of me”

“Dad...”

“Why can't I protect anyone?... As a father, I should do everything in power to ensure you are safe yet all I have done is to put you in harms way”

“Dad, please... stop”

“And those 33 other monsters... as their king, it is my responsibility to care for them but whatever I try... I just can't...”

“...”

“And soon, because of my reckless actions, Sloanes will take Mt. Ebott away from us. Everyone will... will... DAMN IT!” Asgore roared with despair and hammered a fist down on his desk, smashing it to splinters.

Asriel took a step back in surprise. Never before had he seen his father so upset and it pained him to witness.

“This is all my fault... I have failed as a king, as a husband and as a father” Asgore said, almost a whisper looking at his now shattered desk.

Asriel could only look on with a strange sense of premonition. During his short coma, he had indeed suffered a flashback of every murder and evil deed he had committed as Flowey... and beyond. Like always the flower had been there alongside him as he saw it all, yet for the first time ever he hadn't taunted him over his past, instead looking contemplative.

Only when they had reached his memories of Frisk's adventure in The Underground had he broken the silence.

“Y'know, I think ol' fishface might've been right” He mused.

“What do you mean?” He had asked. Intrigued, but wary of whatever the soulless flower would tell him.

“Perhaps you guys really do sacrifice too much for this peace of yours”

A few seconds of silence. Asriel remembered Undyne's outburst, justified as it probably was, but like back then, there was only 1 answer he could give.

“What else can we do?”

“What have you done?” The flower quickly countered.

“Well, dad has-”

“No, not the big cheese, what have **YOU** done?”

Asriel had looked away. There was only 1 thing that came to mind; his botched meeting at the construction site and even then, he had only gone because his father had asked him to...

… In truth, he couldn't think of anything he had done voluntarily for his people.

“Look, I don't blame ya” Flowey began “If it was the king I would have a lot of fun making up dumb bullshit laws, see how many days I could go without a riot. But... you being you, and since you hate fun, I can see how being the prince and future king would be... slightly less fun”

Despite his tone and nature, Asriel knew Flowey could be a surprisingly logical creature and he listened to every word.

“I mean, just look at your old man. He's been around the block a few times and even he is down about all of this”

Asriel sighed “What are you trying to say, Flowey?”

“Simple. You need to man up”

“Wha-what?”

“I know it's easier said than done, especially with you being a prince and all, and your dad has done a lot of work to protect you from the big, bad world out there, but you can't keep shutting and hiding yourself away. You said so yourself at the speech, remember? That you hadn't shown yourself for a long time?”

Asriel had been looking away in contemplation but was still listening. Flowey's words rung true in his floppy ears, despite how much he tried to deny them. It was true that he had tried to distance himself as far away as possible from his inevitable rulership and the political scene because it scared him. The fear of failure being an ever-present but invisible burden on his soul...

Yes...

Perhaps it was time to do something about all the troubles that were plaguing Ebott. Perhaps it was time to live up to his destiny as future king of all monster.

“I know you wanna live up to that image everyone has of you; sweet, little, innocent Prince Asriel... but you and I both know that hasn't been true for quite a while now, don't we?” Flowey continued “Just look what happens when you hold back; people get hurt”

 

Word that were true, words that stung, Asriel realized, yet there were something suspicious about it all.

“Why do you care?” Asriel asked quietly.

“Because I think that by staying here you're missing out on a great adventure and a lot of fun” The flower answered matter-of-factly “And if I have to get sappy to get the ball rolling then so be it. There's a lot of people that has sacrificed a great deal just so that you could be here, alive, today. Now's your chance to make all of that worth it”

 

In all his time, Asriel would never have figured that Flowey would be the one to convince him to step out of his protective comfort zone... but he was right.

 

“I'll do it” Asriel said out loud. His father turned out and let out a tear-choked “What?”

“I... I'll find them. I'll go to the capital and find our missing people” Asriel said strongly, almost sweating at the sheer audacity of his words. Asgore looked on with a surprised but not disapproving look “G-golly, my son, that is... awfully brave of you, but do you think now is the best time? I mean, you just barely-”

“I'm sure, dad. I think I'm... I think I'm finally ready to be the prince of our people... I think I finally understand what is expected of me and what I have to do”

Asriel was well aware that he was probably showing more spine than he ever had and every part of him screamed to stop tearing down this protective bubble he and his father had built around him and to not put himself in this position. And yet, he had never felt more sure of anything before.

 

The look of surprise on his father’s face more than matched the fervor he felt in his soul, but gradually it faded away into pride “My son... I'm glad that you want to take your royal duties more seriously, but I am afraid that what you're asking is... impossible”

“What? Why?”

“As you know, even the 2 of us cannot leave Ebott without express permission from the council. I've been trying to get that to start an investigation into the disappearances and I got it... but I'm afraid that Sloanes sabotaged that plan”

Asgore opened a drawer from his now-shattered desk and withdrew a paper “With this, I, and a select party of no more than 5 monster individuals” Asgore read from the paper “are hereby permitted entry unto official government grounds, provided the reasons for doing so are strictly for investigative purposes. This does not extend to privately owned property and does not grant permission to rent property for the sake of rest. Local law enforcement are not contractually obligated to offer any assistance” Asgore finished with a sigh “And a whole slew of other things”

 

Asriel blinked few times, trying to understand the meaning of it all “So... we can't base ourselves in the capital? But it's a few hours drive to and from there!”

“I know...”

“And we can't even enter private grounds!? Even if it might help our investigation!?”

“No, we cannot”

 

Asriel clenched his paws in a cold anger. While they could enter the capital, they were practically allowed nothing more than walk the streets.

 

“This is... **This is garbage!** ” Asriel protested.

Asgore stood, looking apologetically. Shame filled him. He had worked almost without pause for more than week now and all he had to show for it was this nearly useless piece of paper. Soon, Mt. Ebott would be lost to them forever.

 

The silence of the room was broken by a timid, almost inaudible knock on the door and both Dreemurs turned to face it.

 

It was Alphys, The Royal Scientist.

 

“Ah, eh, h-h-i, hope I didn't interrupt an-anything... important?” She asked tensely, seeing the 2 Dreemurrs both looking serious.

“Not at all!” Asgore immediately boomed with the same enthusiasm he normally used for close friends. Asriel even had to stare in brief surprise at the quick change in demeanor.

“Please do come in and have a seat- uhh” Asgore welcomed but stopped as he awkwardly noticed his now shattered desk.

 

“My apologies, I'll go find a chair for you”

“No no, that's fine” The scientist said and stepped inside.

“Ah, Asriel, go-good to see that you're... o-okay?” She offered.

“I am indeed, thank you” Asriel responded with a bow and smile. Ever since they had come above ground Alphys had been busy reconnecting the scientific worlds of monsters and humans, something that had kept her busy almost constantly, yet she was still a close friend to the Dreemurrs to the point that she was one of the few that didn't address them by their titles.

 

“Now, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Asgore asked expectantly and folded his paws behind his back. Alphys made a startled jump in response as if she had forgotten a cake in the oven.

“Oh right! It's, uhh, this...” She reached a hand into he lab coat. Just now, Asriel realized she was wearing a thick glove and with it she retrieved what looked like a deep black pellet.

Almost immediately it was like the light in the entire room dimmed and the temperature dropped. Both Asgore and Asriel felt their fur stand on end.

 

“What... is that?” The king asked with a mixture of fascination and caution.

“It's the bullet that... well, killed Doggo” Alphys answered with a sigh.

“But it's not a normal bullet?” Asriel offered.

“No, it... it's actually quite amazing, it- I mean not tha-that Doggo died, no! Tha-that's horrible, b-but the bullet here, if-if it could even be cal-called that since a normal bullet is made out of le-lead and metal, but-”

 

“Please, Alphys” Asgore suddenly interrupted with a calming hand “You are amongst friends here, there is no reason to be nervous”

“Ah, right, I'm sorry, eh, hehe...” The scientist said with an awkward scratch behind her head.

“But, what I'm trying to say is this bullet, it... well, for all intents and purposes appears to made entirely out of, well... LOVE”

 

Both Asgore and Asriel raised a questioning eyebrow in unison. “Golly, I... was not even aware that was possible” Asgore said.

“It has never been attempted before” Alphys conceded “B-but it has been theorized for a long time! I mean, I surmised you could physically make or extract LV and such since I once made liquid Det-Determination” A look of revelation passed across Alphys's face.

“Oh, eh, about that... again, so-sorry, Asriel... about all of...well, yo-you know”

“I've told you, all is forgiven” Asriel offered.

“Hey! I just realized something, since I would have never existed without Alphys giving me some of the good stuff, that means she's practically my mom, right?” Flowey snickered within Asriel's head. He didn't deign to answer.

 

A loud sigh filled the room. Asgore shook his head “I do not understand, why would anyone go trough the trouble of making a bullet made out of LOVE when a normal one would do just fine?” He said.

“That, unfortunately, I do not know... or... well” Alphys started, looking the bullet over in their hand with a hint of disgust in their eyes. “The amount of concentrated LOVE in this thing is so high that just touching it would, well, probably infect one's soul with LOVE”

 

A cold breath escaped Asriel. He well remembered his time as Flowey, where his LV had reached well past the thousands, and even more recently, just 4 years ago, when the flower had infected his soul with LV during his fight with Valantis.

 

He shuddered at the memory. LOVE, the ability to emotionally distance oneself from one's evil actions. It had felt... liberating, to have an LV-filled soul he remembered, to not have to care for or feel the consequences of one's actions.

But no, that path only lead to death, destruction, and genocide, and never again would the prince of monsters go down it.

 

Silence descended once again. An emptiness emulating the same Asriel and Asgore felt within themselves. These were dark days indeed and it seemed it would only get worse.

Surprisingly, the first one to break the silence was Alphys.

“Uhh, I coul-couldn't help but overhear you guys talk about some, uhhh... Problems?... you had with going to the human capital?” she managed.

Asriel and Asgore shared a quick despondent look with each other before the king answered. “It is true. We are forbidden from entering pretty much any grounds save government ones... not much to go on” He said with a sigh.

 

Alphys looked askew, contemplation written on her face “Grounds, you say... well, uhh, what about... airspace?” She asked.

Asgore moved a paw to his muzzle, thinking. “I don't believe there's any rules forbidding us from that, but why-”

He stopped. Asgore's eyes went wide with sudden realization. “Golly! Alphys, is it true? Is it ready!?”

“Finished it up just this morning” The scientist said with an uncharacteristically smug grin.

“Wait, what's ready? What are you talking about?” Asriel asked confused.

Asgore turned to face his son, looking him over with a proud gaze.

“Asriel, you said you wanted to go look for our missing people, correct? Are you sure of this wish?” He asked.

“More than I've rarely ever been” Asriel answered, still confused but resolute.

“I... cannot say I am happy about letting you go off to the city like this, especially considering what happened just today. But what Alphy's and I are talking about is... something that may allow you to do just that”

Asriel opened his mouth to answer, but another voice interrupted, a new one they all knew.

“If he's going then I'm coming with!” A determined voice echoed trough the room. Frisk, standing in the doorway. Her cheeks were red and wet trails ran along them, evidence that she had been crying but most noticeable was the determined fire in her eyes.

“I should have been there for you, I should have... but instead I lost control, again! But I won't let you down again, Asriel! I promise, we'll find our missing people, together” she said resolutely.

“Frisk...” Asriel whispered, feeling his admiration for his sister grow inside his soul.

A nervous chuckle escaped Asgore “Golly, you too? Sending both my children on a mission like this... I don't suppose there's anything I could do or say to stop you?” Both children turned to look at him, not saying a word but the looks in their eyes said more than enough.

 

“Fine, then” Asgore relented with a sigh “In that case... let us show you what Alphys has been working on”

* * *

 

Both Asriel and Frisk had, their father's words taken into consideration, expected it to be some kind of transport and, as fate would have it, they were right but it was far from the kind they had thought.

They had all left the City Hall, Asgore, Frisk, Asriel and Alphys and made for Asgore's car, going on a ride that took them well out of Ebott City, out into a large expanse of open fields.

Asriel recognized them. When they had left The Underground they had planned to use this area for farming but The Suits had denied them, fearing that monster plants, like Vegetoids, could potentially pose a great threat to the surface ecosystem if left unchecked and thus these fields had remained largely unused.

But as Frisk and Asriel quickly realized once they arrived, they were far from empty.

 

It was, for lack of a better word, an airship. Larger than either of them had ever seen, not that they had seen many, but still. A large airship, cluttered by scaffolding and construction equipment but looking ready to fly.

 

 

It was humongous yet weirdly shaped. Alphys quickly explained that unlike regular airships, this one did not use any kind of gas for buoyancy, instead, a large green sphere, clearly marked by a T-shaped warning symbol, a new international warning for Telekinetic magic, near the tail was the actual engine and power source. This also explained why the “balloon”, purple in color and painted by a large Delta Rune visible for miles, which would usually be cylinder-shaped instead terminated near the front in a large glass window. Below the balloon, Alphys explained, were the common areas, here the crew could sleep, there was a cafeteria, a cinema, gym with swimming pool and a slew of other recreational rooms. A large balcony stuck out of it, allowing the passengers to also enjoy a bit of sunbathing if they so desired.

On top of the balloon was another, disc-shaped section, the bridge, Alphys said, complete with meeting rooms, a small laboratory and library. The 2 sections were connected by an elevator that ran along curved tracks on the outside of the balloon.

All in all, it was magic-mechanical marvel just as able to serve as a luxurious cruise liner as it could host an international meeting with hundreds of attendants

“Woah...” Asriel said agape, as Alphys finished her introduction of the airship.

“You can say that again” Frisk said, likewise amazed.

“Woah... h-how come you never told us about any of this?” Asriel asked, looking at Alphys and Asgore.

A peaceful smile crept across Asgore's face. He drew in a deep breath “It was to be your mother's and mine's present to you when the crown would have passed from my head to yours” Asgore said with a somber voice “But, regrettably, I fear present circumstances have forced us to abandon that plan for the time being. With the laws as they are right now, I do not believe The Suits would be able to expel you, were you to fly to their city in this”

The king turned to regard both of his children with an equal amount of pride “Yet, I must confess, it irks me to send you to the capital alone and I'm sure your mother will have my head once she finds out I agreed to this... but if you're both sure in this, then I won't stop you- ah!”

Asgore was silenced by a quick hug from Frisk, wrapping her arms around as much of him as she could. Asriel likewise joined in.

“You don't have to worry about us, dad” Frisk said, almost cooing “We'll be fine, and we'll make sure our missing people are as well”

“You always say that Frisk and me are the future of humans and monsters” Asriel picked up “and it's time we lived up to that”

* * *

 

 

The plan was made, next were the preparations, surprisingly simple and quick as they were.

Toriel, much to everyone's expectations, nearly burnt Asgore to the ground once she learned about their planned mission to the capital. Once she had been calmed she immediately turned to try and convince her children to abandon the plan for fear of their lives but just like her former husband she had no luck. She did, however, demand that they be accompanied by trusted friends. Alphys, alongside Undyne, acting as personal bodyguard to the Dreemurr children, would come along with them.

Neither Toriel nor Asgore could come with them either. Toriel, no longer acting royalty, was not allowed to leave Ebott under any circumstances and Asgore was much too busy ruling over Ebott to come along.

 

Early the next morning they were ready to leave. Almost all of Ebott City had assembled on the open plain before the airship to wave them goodbye. Asriel and Frisk themselves stood before the boarding stairs leading to the common section, together with their parents.

“I still disapprove of sending you both off like this” Toriel said with a frown “but, I must confess, it makes me proud to see you here, undertaking this task”

“My son...” Asgore said, taking a step forward “We almost lost you yesterday, and I think I speak for both myself and your mother when I say that we wouldn't be able to bear if anything were to happen you, to either of you. I would rather walk trough a thousand hells before that”

“Please, find our people” Toriel picked up into an accepting, graceful smile “But more importantly, please, return to us safe and well. You both mean so much to us” The assembled Dreemurr family gave each a big group hug, small whispered promises of being reunited soon enough passed from child to parent and from parent to child.

Alphys and Undyne were already on-board, waving to the cheering crowd of monsters from the common section balcony.

 

With a few last parting words, Frisk and Asriel climbed the boarding stairs into the airship itself and soon after, it began to ascend, first slowly then picking up speed, rising into the air.

Asriel and Frisk joined Alphys on Undyne on the balcony, waving everyone goodbye.

 

Down on ground, both parents waved back with tears born of pride in their eyes. Yet, for Asgore, another feeling held presence in his soul. He remembered what Undyne had told him about the assassin's last words, the so-called general and a dark, cold fear had taken root in him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not fathom why the once vaunted general of the Royal Guard would target his children like this, if he even were, that is...

But... if he was...

If the old general of the Royal Guard really were somehow behind all of this...

 

… Then he feared that this might be the last time he would ever see his children alive.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, as you probably noticed I went and made a thing... I figured that merely describing the airship seemed a tad lame to I tried my hand at pixelating it. Could be worse, I suppose.
> 
> Anyway, until next time!


	9. The Bottom of the Top

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And on the first step of the expedition! A risky delve into the top of capital society, a dangerous gamble and a dark, terrifying secret revealed! How will our heroes cope!?
> 
> Read on to find out!

“Frisk, c'mon, I know you, urrg, have better things to do. Ooohhhh”  
“Perhaps but this is way more fun"  
“Fun? Frisk, I, urk, I think I'm... dying”  
“Nah, it's just a bad case of vertigo. You just haven't earned your wings yet” Frisk finished with a supportive bump to Asriel's back, eliciting even more retching from the ailing monster.

Asriel had quite early on the group's flight with the airship learned 2 important facts: There was a reason not all monsters were born with wings and another unfortunate side effect of eating too much human food. He had spent the last hour doubled-over in front of the toilet in his private quarter, with Frisk providing not totally helpful support.  
Unfortunate, as Alphys and Undyne were already waiting on the bridge in order to plan what to do once they arrived in the human capital.

“I'm not sure you're quite fit to go planning” Frisk said, finally showing a bit of her more usual sympathy.  
“Oh, you, urrk, think so?” Asriel said, trying to sound sarcastic but was foiled by the incessant tingling in his throat.  
“Yeah, not to worry, we'll just do this!” Frisk fished Asriel's phone out of a pocket in his robe and with practiced ease called her own, accepted the call, and place it on the sink.  
“Wha- what?” Asriel tried.  
“I put it on speaker. You should be able to hear what we come up with” Frisk explained with a teasing smile.  
Asriel's only verbal response was yet another retch. He just barely managed to raise his paw to give a thumbs up.

With a final chuckle, Frisk turned for the door. She knew that it had probably been ages since a monster had experienced any kind of vertigo, but she also knew that her brother was in no real danger.  
“Just call on the phone if you need anything” she said as she reached the door.  
“I need this to end, urrgh”  
Another small chuckle. He would fine, he was made of sterner dust than that.

* * *

 

The hallways of the lower section of the airship were quite vibrantly colored, even in a way that didn't annoy the eye, though Frisk surmised that some places looked more at place in a kindergarten than in the new royal flagship of an entire race. Nevertheless, it did well to provide for the wholly monster crew's need for lively surroundings.  
The crew itself consisted mostly of smaller monsters, so as to easier fit into the tighter crawlspaces and corridors of the ship, including a group of froggits for more menial tasks and a small team of highly-trained, highly-efficient but not at all highly-professional team of technician temmies, or “tEChmieS” as they liked to call themselves.

Despite the varied bunch, however, they all showed a deep respect for Frisk, to the point that she was sure she had had to tell every crew-member at least once that there was no need for bowing.

She entered the elevator leading to the top section, the bridge, and pressed the up-most of 3 buttons. In an emergency, the elevator could be jettisoned from the ship to act as a kind of escape pod. Something that seemed unlikely as there was a powerful magical barrier around the ship, providing a good amount of protection... but not invincibility.  
She just hoped that they would never have to use it.

A pleasant chime awoke her from her thoughts and the doors slid open, revealing the somewhat more cold and serious environments of the bridge. Not so many colors here, but on the walls hung many of the magically moving paintings her father sometimes made. A beautiful garden with grass and flowers swaying in the wind here, a majestic, snow-capped mountain range there, it really made Frisk wonder if her dad missed his true calling in life, him being so good at gardening and other arts.

The crew and the deck was a whole lot more subdued than those in the lower section, most only giving a short salute or nod upon seeing Frisk. The only exception was a tem flight lieutenant who fainted on the spot.

Beyond the door to the meeting room, Frisk could hear Alphys and Undyne already engaged in their “small-talk”  
“Undyne, no! You can't do a cyber-mega buster! It's just not physically possible!”  
“Not with that attitude, just you watch!”  
“No, I-it's impossible... and if yo-you have to do it at least wait until we're off the ship!”  
“Hey, if worse comes to worst at least we'll go out with one heck of a bang, right?”  
“I'm... not sure Asgore would appreciate us playing fast-and-loose with the new airship like that, Undyne”

Frisk entered, suddenly feeling that everyone's lives were on the line. She found Undyne, holding a larger than usual energy spear above her head as if she was about to impale an enemy lying on the ground. Alphys was cowering in a corner, quivering in apparent fear.  
“Hope I'm not interrupting” Frisk said politely.  
“Oh, heya, Frisky” Undyne said with a disappointed frown and lowered her spear.  
“Hmm, guess the cyber-mega buster will have to wait till later, then”  
“Oh, thank god!” Alphys exclaimed over in the corner.

“Hey, where's Punk Asriel, uhh, Prince Asriel, I mean?” Undyne asked.  
“Right here” Frisk replied, placing her cell phone on the large table in the center of the room.  
“Ooooohhhhhh” A tortured groan escaped from the speaker.  
“Woah, what's going on with him?” Undyne asked.  
“He's... leaving dinner”  
“Leaving... dinner?”  
“Yes, you know, the opposite of having or eating dinner”  
“The opposite of... oh darn” Undyne finished with a surprised expression that nevertheless quickly changed to her usual, stoic one.  
“Tsk, tsk, we'll have to work on that once we get back to Ebott, can't have it be known that someone trained under me was done in by a bit of fresh air. You hear that, Asriel? It's gonna get hardcore once we get back!”  
“Ooohhhh” Came the strained reply.

Frisk clapsed her hands together, catching the attention of the assembled monsters. “So, what's the plan, then? Do we have any leads?” She asked.  
“Do we ever! Alphys, take it away!” Undyne ordered.  
Alphys nervously cleared her throat and placed a laptop up on the table “Ehhm, yeah, about that, I kinda... slightly hacked into the capital city's police department's database, eh, y-y'know, because they might... know stuff?”  
Frisk could only stare in disbelief as Alphys dropped the bomb that was the potential political scandal if it was ever found out what the royal scientist had done. On the phone Asriel gave off a loud rasping, the news causing havoc on his already tormented condition.  
“That was... quite bold of you” Frisk understated.  
“In my experience, “bold” is just another word for “badass!”” Undyne said, clasping a hand unto Alphys's shoulder. The lizard herself blushed and looked away at the affection.

“Anyway” Frisk began with a sigh and shake of her head “Did you at least find something in there?” She asked.  
Immediately some of Alphys's nervous blush evaporated, apparently glad at having something else to talk about “Eh, yes, actually, I think I might have” She spun the laptop so it faced Frisk. On it was a long, detailed police rapport. Frisk leaned in close, nodding and humming in an analytic, professional manner but in truth not understanding a single sentence of the complicated wording of the report.  
“Apparently, the police undertook their own small investigation into the disappeared monsters” Alphys explained “And, they even managed to narrow it down to a single likely suspect; a certain Countess Gospodar”

Frisk took a step back in stunned surprise at the name, at once amused at it being dropped and her not even thinking the countess could have been involved in the disappearance, giving the rumors surrounding her.  
“Wait, if they had 1 likely suspect why did they drop the investigation?” Undyne asked.  
Alphys made to answer but was interrupted by Frisk.  
“Because the “graceful” Countess Gospodar goes to the same country club as the chief of police's wife” Frisk said, voice full of loathing.  
“Wait, you know her?” Alphys asked.  
“I know of her. I was actually supposed to have an interview with her later today; there have been accusations that she have been involved in some kind of underground slave ring, but I canceled so I could be here instead”  
For a few seconds, silence descended upon the room as they all digested Frisk's words and their implications. Even Asriel's groaning on the phone had stopped.  
Alphys was the first to break the stalemate.  
“Do you think you could, uhh, I don't know, perhaps rearrange the same interview?” She offered.  
Frisk flashed a wry smile. In truth, she had had the same idea “I'm actually pretty sure I could. Countess Gospodar is an avid anti-monster activist, she wouldn't miss a chance to talk down to someone like me for the world” she said, her smile faltering a bit as she realized her own words.

“So, what, you think you can make her spill the beans just by talking to her?” Undyne asked with a challenging look.  
“Heh, nah, I'm good, but not that good. Though, I suppose it could serve as a distraction while, oh I dunno, someone else snuck around her villa looking for those answers?” Frisk's face dropped to look at the phone on the table, shortly after Undyne and Alphys followed suit.  
“You're... you're all looking at the phone, aren't you?” Asriel asked on the other end after a few moments of silence.  
“Well, you are the prince” Frisk explained “Gospodar would like nothing more than to serve someone like you a piece of humble pie”  
“Urrgh, don't say that word, *hiccup*

“So that's the plan, then” Undyne butted in, leaning forward and resting her hands on the table “The 2 of you go in and get the interview started. After a few minutes Asriel excuses himself, sneaks away and looks for evidence” She surmised.  
“Yup” Frisk agreed.  
“Sounds good to me” Alphys concurred.  
“Ooohhhh” Asriel... agreed?

“Well then, better find your best suit and best behavior, Azzy” Frisk said to the phone, leaning a bit closer to it.  
“We're about to have a meeting between monster and human nobility”

* * *

 

Frisk gave herself one last look-over in the large mirror situated in the living room of her personal quarter, making sure it was up to snuff. One might assume that when going to meet nobility, one would wear one's finest and most expensive clothes, but, as Frisk had found out when studying courtesy, it wasn't that simple. If she were to wear something too fine the hostess might see it as a challenge or even a veiled insult. Thus, Frisk had settled for a simple striped dress in her usual colors, well-tailored and made of high-quality cloth but ultimately bland and a tad bit boring, the perfect compromise, Frisk surmised. She did a short twirl, noting that the skirt didn't rise more than 8 centimeters, good enough... hmm, perhaps she would have to go a bit easier on the pies and instant noodles, though.

Satisfied that her outfit would do the trick, Frisk turned for the door leading out of her room. Now came to the tricky part.  
It wasn't that Asriel's sense of fashion was bad. The problem was he didn't have on at all. Pretty much the only criteria he had for the clothes he had was that they were green. His finer clothes, the delta rune robe, and business suit, while regal-looking and quite beautiful, were both something either mom or dad had given him.

Though, perhaps that was for the best. Countess Gospodar probably wouldn't expect much from a monster. Better to play it by her rules.  
Frisk reached up and gave a few short knocks Asriel's door, his quarter located just across the hallway from hers.  
“Hey, you just about ready?” She called.  
“Just about” came a quick reply.  
“Alright, I'm coming in, I better not find you with your pants on your head”

She entered, almost excited and hoping to find him in a bundled mess for a cheap laugh. But, to her slight disappointment, she found him, back turned, facing a mirror much like the one in her own room, in the process of buttoning up the last few buttons on the white shirt underneath the black business suit.  
“There... we... go” he said, turning around and spreading his arms wide to present himself.  
“So, on a scale from -10 to 0 how bad does it look?” He asked with a snide smirk.

Frisk, of course, immediately picked up the invitation to a quick jab on him and usually she wouldn't hesitate to take it, but... woah.  
It was... a series of short revelations for Frisk. She realized she had never actually seen Asriel in a suit before, him having sworn that he would do all that he could to keep Frisk away from the political work he and his father worked in. She realized that the suit he wore was probably bought at least a year ago, it seeming to sit just a little bit too tight, a far cry from his usually more loose-hanging clothes. She also realized that all the sparring, training and running he did with Undyne... really showed. Toned didn't even come close to cut it.  
His impressive physique wasn't all of it either. He had evidently showered and been groomed as his fur seemed more shiny and pristine than before, his horns too, seemed more smooth and ivory-like, perhaps owing to a bit of polishing, the only marring feature being the shorn top of his rightmost one, it having been cut off at the end of a “long story” he had once told her.

All in all, he looked nothing lie the goofy, kind brother she had known just a few minutes ago, instead looking like some kind of majestic creature straight out of a fantasy novel, shiny, furry and green-eyed.

“Uhh, Frisk?” He asked.  
“Uh-huh”  
“Frisk, you're, uhh, drooling”  
“Mr. Dreemurr will see you now”  
“What? Oh god, no, Frisk! Is it really that bad!? Golly, I thought I had done such a good job at it, too”  
He reached up to unbutton the shirt.

“NO!” Frisk shouted.  
“ACK! What? What did I do!?”  
“No, it's, uh, fine, good enough, I mean, uhh... we should go... Now!”  
“Oh, you sure? I could go change if-”  
“I'm sure, now, go!”  
“I'm going, I'm going, just don't shout at me!” He said as he hurriedly rushed out the door and made for the shuttles.

Frisk herself stayed behind, taking deep breaths as she tried to cool the warm blush that had started in her face and then spread. No, she needed more!  
She tore open one of the windows. She had been told to do so only in an emergency but she needed something cold and splashing water on her face couldn't do. Stupid make-up.

She stuck her head out, feeling the... something, quickly disappearing. The wind buffeted her face sharply and undid her carefully made hair, but she didn't care, she could do it once they were onboard the shuttle, for now, she needed to think of something else.  
For it was wrong to think like that, he was her brother for crying out loud! Not by blood or dust, but still...

She sighed. Of everyone in her family, she had always been the most flirtatious. Not that she had ever meant anything by it, it was simply her own way of messing with people, but boy, this had been a wake-up call!  
…  
No, whatever had happened would have to wait for another time, she surmised, sticking her head back in and finally feeling her racing heart calm down.  
They had a job to do, 33 monsters gone and in need of a rescue, everything else must come second!  
…  
'What a shame' Frisk thought.

* * *

 

“Golly, this is going to suck, isn't it?” Asriel whimpered as he and Frisk walked up the long driveway leading to Gospodar's villa, flanked on either side by pristine manicured lawns and plants that had probably come from the other side of the world. The villa itself was no slouch in the wow-factor either. The front looked more like a finely-carved castle gate, and the walls surrounding it were inlaid with figures and scenes, depicting some kind of ancient battle.  
“Only if you get spotted” Frisk answered with a shrug. “There's probably a few hired security guards around. Still, I'd almost rather tango with them than sit trough an entire interview with the “good countess””

Asriel chuckled lightly. He was tempted to answer that she had once turned some of the most noteworthy figures of monsterkind from enemies into friends, almost without uttering a single word, so a grumpy old countess would be no problem at all. Of course, the Frisk that was with him now didn't know that...  
He turned his attention back to the villa itself. It was expansive but not tall, only apparently 3 stories tops. He eyed a drainage pipe close to a window on the middle floor, perhaps a way in when he slipped away from the meeting. There were a few cameras here and there, but nothing he couldn't avoid, thankful that Undyne had once trained him in detection avoidance 101 once, using a few of Alphys's cameras.

“Say, Frisk, after this, could you do me a favor?” Asriel asked.  
“What's up, goat-butt?”  
“What? Oh, eh, do you think you could buy me some peach yogurt once we're done here? Think I'll need to cut down on the solids foods for a while”  
“Heh, you've really taken a liking to that stuff, haven't you?”  
“It's delicious! I almost begged dad to build a royal factory to make it just for Ebott the other day!”  
“Good use of taxpayer money”  
“Hah, ehh... I was kidding, Frisk”  
“Sure you were... but alright, I'll get you your drug”  
“Thanks, Frisk”

They arrived at the door. A camera above it whirred as they came close, almost like a snake hissing a warning.  
Beside him, Frisk took a deep breath.  
“So, you're ready?” She asked.  
“No”  
“Good, now, remember, I'll do most of the talking. You just sit and try not to make too much of a fuss. Wait a few minutes then find a way to excuse yourself, sneak away and search for clues. Simple, right?”  
“I... guess. Frisk, I've never tried infiltrating a manor before”  
“What, really?”  
“No! Of course not! Why would you think I had!?”

The door opening silenced whatever answer Frisk might have given. Instead, they both immediately stood to attention, straight-backed and orderly.  
The door opened completely, revealing an elderly, posh-looking butler.  
“Yes?” he simply said, in a tone that smacked of aristocratic linguistic overkill.

“Frisk Dreemurr” Frisk answered in a frighteningly similar fashion.  
“We're here for the interview with the gracious Countess Gospodar”  
The butler glanced over at Asriel, seizing him up, his face completely disciplined and unchanging as if he wore a mask. The prince himself could only meet his scrutiny with a nervous smile.  
“It was informed that you might bring a friend, but this is... highly irregular. I regret to inform you, but Lady Gospodar's view on beasts are... quite extreme”  
“We are aware, but I assure you, he is quite harmless” Frisk said with a smile.  
Beside her, Asriel gave off a slight, sympathetic laugh.  
Fortunately, the butler seemed to buy into the small lie. With a simple shrug, he turned on his heel and gestured for the human and monster to follow.

* * *

 

As dazzling and impressive as the outside exterior had been, the inside of Gospodar's mansion was the exact opposite. Dull, swamp-green walls stood nearly featureless for long stretches, with only a few drab paintings, pinned butterflies or crude symbols here and there.

That all changed when they reached the great banquet hall. Polished gold crests, symbols, and trophies covered nearly every centimeter of the walls and the light from a giant, diamond-encrusted chandelier above them reflected off of them. For Frisk and Asriel it was like being lit up by flashlights from all directions.

“Frisk, my dear! So glad you decided to show up, despite your earlier cancellation!” came a refined voice, light as a bird's, but as authoritative as a lion's.  
A quite pudgy, elderly lady rose from a seat at the end of a long table in the middle of the room and made for the duo. Lady Gospodar, looking every inch of spoiled nobility as Asriel had figured. From top to bottom looking very much like someone who had lived a sedentary life. Her dress, a beautiful velvet light green he admitted, bulged to either side. Her skin was likewise gray and drab, only barely covered by a thick layer of glistening makeup.  
Yet for just second, he eyed a glimpse of feral cunning the woman's eyes.

Gospodar reached a finely manicured hand out to Frisk, each finger bearing a large, gem-encrusted ring. Frisk took it into her own, bowed down and planted a quick kiss.  
“It was my fortune that the business that previously prevented me was undone, your esteemed ladyship, I hope to learn much from you in the coming hours” Frisk said.  
Asriel couldn't help but quietly sigh at how pleasant Frisk's voice sounded like when spoken with an aristocratic hint, similar and yet so different from Countess Gospodar, though, that didn't surprise him. Here was a person who simply wore the name of human nobility and another who personally embodied it.

As if noticing his sigh, Gospodar slowly craned her neck to face him, looking like someone trying to locate an annoying sound in a large room.  
“Now, this is certainly a surprise. Asriel Dreemurr, Crown Prince of Monsters. If I had known you would be accompanying dear Frisk I would have had my servants fetch some food from the local pet store” she said, amused, but not unkindly.

Asriel chuckled half-heartedly, convincing himself to take the statement more as a compliment, rather than the veiled insult it probably was.  
“It is quite alright, Countess Gospodar, most human food would suit my palette just fine, but, please, allow me to understate what an honour it is to meet you in person. Your name is oft mentioned amongst my dad's cabinet” Asriel replied, trying his best to mimic Frisk's and Gospodar's aristocratic accent.  
“Man, you're such a sellout” Flowey commented inside his head.  
“Indeed? Well, I am glad to hear you know to listen when your betters speak” Gospodar replied, again sounding not in the slightest like she was trying to insult.

Asriel gulped, knowing full well that the next many moments would be absolute torture.

* * *

 

And a torture it was, though also a strange kind of learning experience. Asriel was no stranger to the hatred and ignorance that was shown his people by the suits but never once had he heard those same, thinly-veiled insults and made up facts spoken with such complete conviction. It was almost like she expected Frisk and Asriel to agree with her on the spot.

Frisk did her best to keep the conversation centered on the interview, but the countess took every opportunity to rattle off more of her conjectures to the prince. Frisk asking into her connections with the human government lead her to give Asriel a lecture on why monarchy was so “old-fashioned and boorish”. Another question delving into her supposed relationship with a leader of another human nation lead to her asking him how many women his father had courted. As someone with such a title, and with no grasp of “good and proper surface values” he must have been wading in them!

Asriel deflected the questions as best as he could but even his patience was wearing thin. He glanced over at a grandfather clock standing close-by, he had been sitting there for almost half an hour. 'Just another 30 minutes' he thought to himself, then he would be able to excuse himself to the washroom and get away from this madness. For now, all he could do was to sit, smile and nod while sipping off a cup of tea he had been served by the butler, though, by the taste and color of it, he was pretty sure the countess had deliberately given him a cup of heated water instead, he had decided not to speak up.

“Countess Gospodar” Frisk began “In your official police statement regarding the investigation into your, of course, completely unbased and untrue connection to an underground slavery ring, you mentioned that monster slavery was an “interesting, but crude idea” could you elaborate?”

“Why, of course, dearest Frisk!” The countess chirped “If beasts are to ever integrate into the workforce, they would need proper experiences in the fields, would they not?”  
“I suppose” Frisk agreed.  
“Splendid! Then, would you not also agree that beasts, by virtue of the laxity their magical affinity had given them, would have to be forced into work if they are to ever learn those values within a sensible amount of time?”  
“Ohh, I don't know. Slavery just sounds so-”  
“It does indeed, and black market slavery too! That wouldn’t do at all. I much prefer the term “enforced labor” official, blue-collar labor, of course. Oh, Frisk, I cannot imagine how your life in Ebott must be, why, it reminds me of a good friend of mine and his tales of when he lived with a feral tribe of natives in the Southlands!”

… Perhaps half an hour was more than enough waiting. Any more and he might do something stupid.  
“Excuse me, Countess” Asriel said, rising from his chair.  
“I would hate to impose but could I avail you the location of the washroom?”  
“Sheesh, you're laying it on thick” Flowey groaned within him.

Gospodar sneered in thinly-veiled contempt but nevertheless raised a lanky arm to point at a set of double-doors.  
“The servant's quarters are down that hall. I would appreciate if you would suppress your beastly urges and not leave a mess, Prince Asriel”  
“... Thank you and I will... try not to” Asriel replied with a quick, insincere bow before rushing off, desperate to get away.

* * *

 

As soon as the doors closed behind him, Asriel went to the nearest window, opened it up, and crawled outside into the evening sun. At once he was surprised at how clean the air was, just now realizing how sickly sweet it had been inside the manor, probably because of the stifling perfumes and all the sweets and chocolates the countess seemed to have hidden in every piece of pottery.

He stalked trough the garden leading to the front of the house where he had seen the drainage pipe, making sure to keep as close to the walls as possible. Luckily, the sun was on the other side of the house and the shadows the house threw were long and deep.

A nearby gardener suddenly started shouting and Asriel froze. Only after a few seconds did he see the cables leading from a phone in his pocket into his ears, and that he was actually just singing loudly along to something, though, it sounded more like shouts of alarm than anything.

He reached the front of the house and quickly looked around. He would be visible from quite a distance when he started crawling but as far as he could see, the only danger was a guard sleeping in a booth guarding the entrance to the driveway. It was as clear as it would ever be.

The drainage pipe itself proved to be surprisingly difficult to traverse, not just because it looked like it had been recently polished, but the suit he was wearing also suddenly felt too tight and frustrated his attempts to raise his legs along the pipe, nevertheless, he made good, if slow progress towards the window. The manor itself was located atop a seaside cliff and from the window, he imagined one would have a great view of the ocean, the perfect place for an office.

A strange sense of deja vu overcame him. There probably weren't a lot of people who had ever had need to climb a drainage pipe and yet here he was, doing it for the second time. Last time, he had been trying to reach a burning apartment to help whoever was trapped inside. It had ended with him being shot and nearly die.  
Hopefully, this wouldn't be like last time.

He reached the window and looked over his shoulder, satisfied that the coast was still clear. The window itself was locked, but there was a devious trick his father, of all people, had shown him once.  
He locked his legs as tight around the pipe as he could and leaned over towards the window as much as he could, just barely able to fit a single claw in between the window frame. Perfect, now just a quick but weak infusion of fire magic, aaaaand...  
*Pop!*  
With the sound of the cork being popped from a wine bottle, the window jumped out of its hinges by virtue of the heat vacuum he had created. With a push, shove and jump, Asriel managed to ease himself trough, getting himself inside the supposed office.

Great! Now he just had to find some kind of clue, maybe in a drawer or desk or-  
Bed?  
There was a great king-sized bed in there...  
“Oh, golly...”  
The bedroom.  
The sheer possibility of being discovered in such a compromising place filled Asriel with a super-heated blush!  
The door! He had to get out! This was another person's private bedroom! He had to-  
…  
He stopped, just shy of reaching out for the door handle. There was a strange, sweet and oddly familiar scent in the air. Something that... filled him with dread for some reason.  
He raised his nose into the air, tasting it. He knew he had smelled that before, recently even, but where?  
He tried to follow the trail. Did it lead outside? No, it was inside the bedroom. Did it come from the ventilation unit? No, the air around it was clean and scentless.  
He closed his eyes, focusing as much as possible on finding the source of the dread-inducing sweet smell. He turned his head to follow and opened his eyes again.  
A closet?  
He inched closer, almost scared of what he would find. sans had made plenty a joke about him and his brother hiding in closets and apparently, it was also a human idiom for having a dark secret...

He opened it carefully, almost expecting a terrifying Final Froggit to leap at him from inside. Instead, he found, not surprising at all, a long rack of fur coats.  
And, as he sniffed the air again, the source of the strange smell.  
…  
The furs also seemed strangely... bright and fine, not that usually worn furs were but it was like the animal the fur had come from might never have lived in the wild at all.  
He moved a paw to touch and ran it down a sleeve on one of them. And as he pulled it back, he realized with horror what the strange smell was. He had smelt it before, 2 days ago at his near assassination.  
On his paw, like the teardrops that had no doubt been shed in its cruel creation were several glittering granules of monster dust.  
–----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Frankly Frisk, you should know you can be perfectly honest with me”  
“Oh, whatever do you mean?” Frisk said, practically a droning slur at this point. Keeping up the aristocratic charade had been amusing at first but the countess's monumental arrogance had quickly taken all that away.  
“Well, I can't help but think that you seem... slightly anxious” She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.  
“Frisk, you can tell me... This Asriel, is he and The Dreemurr family holding you against your will?”  
Frisk couldn't help but stare in near-shock at the audacity for a few seconds.  
“Ehh, no, not at all” Was all she could manage.  
The countess leaned back, the grimace on her face easily betraying that she didn't quite believe her.  
“If you say so. Nevertheless, I would like to have this “prince” of yours checked once he returns. I do not trust-”  
**CRASH!**

Both Frisk and Gospodar jumped in their seats at the sound. A set of double-doors behind Gospodar, leading further into the manor, had been kicked open, revealing a sight Frisk had never imagined she would see.  
It was her brother, but in a state she had never seen him before; absolutely furious. His eyes were alight with a white fire, the air around him seemed to shimmer as if in a heat haze, the lips on his muzzle were peeled back in a beastly snarl and in his left paw he clutched a couple of fur coats.

Gospodar rose from her chair in a dignified manner “What is the meaning of this, Prince Asriel?” she demanded, still daring to hold her noble tone of voice “What have you been doing in there and what are you- ekk!”  
Asriel suddenly moved, walking briskly towards the countess and startling her into silence. Frisk too, stood in stunned silence. “Asriel” and “angry” were 2 things that just didn't seem to fit together, like “Temmie” and “coherent speech” yet here they were. She noticed that as he moved, burnt, soot-stained footprints were left behind wherever his foot touched the floor.

“A-Asriel” The Countess tried again, quivering with barely concealed fear “I- I insist that you stop! Or-or I will call secu- argh”  
Asriel's free paw shot out, grasping the countess by the throat and silencing her. Despite her doubtlessly immense weight, he lifted her up, her feet dangling a few centimeters off of the floor. He raised the fur coats in front of her.  
“ **WHERE DID YOU GET THESE!?** ” He shouted in rage. The countess's only response was a strained, choking gasp.

Frisk, finally coming to her senses, rounded on Asriel, tugging at the sleeve on the arm holding the countess.  
“Asriel, what are you doing!? Put her down!” She insisted.  
Asriel felt some of his rage subside at her words, but he couldn't let this go. This was a crime too heinous to just forgive.  
“ **WHERE DID YOU GET THESE!?** ” He repeated. “ **TELL ME, OR SO HELP ME I WILL BURN THIS ENTIRE CESSPIT TO THE GROUND LOOKING FOR THE ANSWER!** ”

“Asriel, put her down! You're hurting her!” Frisk cried, still tugging at him.  
“ **She deserves to be hurt!** ” Asriel snarled back, not as angrily as before but still with a malice-filled voice that shook Frisk to her core.  
But that wasn't the end of it.  
“ **These coats?** ” He said, raising them in front of Frisk.  
“ **They're made... with monster fur** ”

She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. Surely he must be mistaken? No one could be so cruel as to have monsters skinned for the making of a coat!  
But no, looking close, she saw a telltale glitter of monster dust in the hairs on one of the coats. And...  
A note?  
She reached her hand out and plucked the little paper scrap, sticking out of one of the pockets, and quickly read it over.  
It was... perhaps exactly what they had been looking for, but in a context far more horrifying than any of them could have imagined.

“ **You... Despicable... Bastard!** ” Asriel snarled at the gasping and whimpering countess.  
“ **How would you like it if I were to do the same to you!? WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!?** ” As before, The Countess's only answer was fearful choking as she struggled uselessly in the monster's iron grip. Deep inside, he knew it was an empty threat, something he would never do, but never had he been so unsure of that and never in all his life had he personally witnessed such a crime against his people.  
“Asriel... put her down” Came Frisk surprisingly calm but determined voice.  
Asriel grimaced. He didn't want to let go. He imagined how easy it would be to just squeeze a little tighter, snap her neck and leave her soul to rot. He would have nothing to do with such a poisoned, rotten thing!

“Asriel, put her down... **now!** ” Frisk demanded.  
…  
No, even now, he still couldn't go against Frisk... and, it was probably for the best. He had promised her that he would never kill, after all, and the scandal it would unleash if it became known that The Prince of Monsters had killed someone in their own home would no doubt spell doom for Ebott.

With a final relenting growl, Asriel released the whimpering countess. She collapsed onto the floor with a pained whimper, and scurried away, coughing and gasping for the breath that had been denied her for so long.  
“I think... we got what we came for” Frisk said calmly, waving the note in front of Asriel. He didn't deign to look or answer, instead fixating his angry glare at the quivering Countess.  
“There... there will be consequences for this, I assure you!” The countess hissed at him. All traces of her former aristocratic speech gone.  
“Yes, you're right... there will be” he said and walked past her, heading for the door to the outside, kicking the chair the countess was leaning against away as he did, causing her to fall to the floor once again.

Frisk still stood, face cast down and hidden in shadow, facing the countess.  
“Frisk, please, you must understand” Gospodar whimpered, trying to stand up.  
“This... this is all a big misunderstanding, please, you have to believe me”  
No answer was forthcoming from The Determined Child, instead came a court bow, as she had done in her initial greeting.  
“I thank you for your time, Countess Gospodar, I think our readers will be VERY interested in what has been revealed here. I would wish you good day, but that would be lying” She said, finishing her bow and following Asriel out the door.

* * *

 

Neither of them said a word as they headed back to the shuttle that had taken them to the manor. They had found what they had been looking for, a clue, and more than likely the already ending day would see them down on the surface again before it was over to investigate it.

Asriel clutched the collected bundle of coats in his paw tightly. He knew his father had practically no political influence in the capital but once he showed him the coats he was sure he could arrange for the countess's immediate arrest and have her put away for good. Even the suits would have to react once they found out monsters had been skinned alive for the making of mere clothes!

And the furs themselves... they were new. They could only come from one source. The 33 kidnapped monsters.

They were on the right track, they knew, but already out the gate, both of the Dreemurr children silently feared where the path might take them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the real meat of the story has finally begun, a whole 9 chapters in...
> 
> Well, it's gonna get worse before it get's better.


	10. Guard Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short one this time... but not short of danger and drama!

“Quite a sight, isn't it?” The human asked out loud. He was outside the mountain hideout used by his monster benefactor, atop a small plateau overlooking the capital city, over which now hung a large airship bearing the Delta Rune of Ebott. The human was holding a cell phone in his hands, filming the large ship. The cell was connected to a laptop inside the mountain itself where the large monster was, hopefully, watching the footage. It was the only way for him to ever get a view of the outside world as, apparently, a “coward Dreemurr” had placed a spell on the mountain that prevented him from ever leaving.

“It is naught but a project of vanity” Growled the static-laced voice of the monster back trough the cell phone. “I see no less than 9 critical weak spots. Even the lowliest of pre-war monster acolytes could reduce it to a pile of cinders in seconds”  
“Well, I don't think it's intended as a military vehicle”  
“A pitiful reminder of monsterkinds submissive weaknesses in this age... pathetic”  
The human held his breath for a few seconds, momentarily taken aback at the venom in the monster's voice.  
“You don't seem to overtly like your own people?” He ventured.  
“...”  
“I mean, it's pretty obvious you have some history, but do you really hate monsters that much?”  
“...”  
“Hello? You there?”  
“...”  
“Bah, stubborn old foo-”  
“I hold monsterkind in the highest of regards, mortal. I doth not detest my people... but I abhor what we hath become under these... traitors”  
“What do you mean?”  
“How could I ever explain that to someone who hath never laid eyes upon the kingdom we used to have? Nay, I will not waste my breath. But know this; Once Dreemurr dust blackens the floor beneath my feet, we will have taken the first steps towards our restoration”  
“... I'm sorry, but I fail to see how offing a Dreemurr would help your people in any way”  
“You need not understand, cretin! You need but to bring them to me!... Once it is done, you will see...everyone will...”  
A droning, beeping noise followed, indicating that he had hung up. The human grunted in slight annoyance. Perhaps he would have to look into a way to undermine the monster before he caused too much harm...

He shook his head. Thoughts for another day. For now, he had a job to do. If the rescue party had done their job at the Gospodar Estate right, and he was pretty sure they had, they would soon set out again.  
He had to be ready, and so did they. Sending them off to the chopping block right now would be a waste. There was still one last thing to show them before he would guide the Dreemurr Children and their compatriots to his hideout.

If they are to die, they might as well go down with a golden standard.

* * *

  
A heavy silence had descended on the meeting room aboard the airship, dominated in the middle by a large table upon which laid a stack of fur coats. Fur coats whose dark secrets had just been revealed to the room's occupants.

“Sheesh...” Undyne whispered in a rare moment of stupor.  
“My god...” Alphys agreed beside her.

Frisk and Asriel stood across from them, the former with hands folded behind her, and the later with arms crossed and face cast down.  
To think, at first both of them had seen their expedition to the capital as a kind of adventure, a brave rescue mission into the heart of the unknown.  
Now, it all seemed like something out of a horror movie.

“H-ho-how many is there?” Alphys ventured  
“7” Asriel answered darkly.  
“7... my god, 7 monsters, skinned alive?”  
“They would have to have been. If they had died then their fur would have gone to dust along with them” Undyne answered, a hint of angered malice appearing in her voice.  
“Bu-but that means they're still alive, right? That we-we're not t-too late?”  
Frisk sighed sadly “We are too late, even if they are still alive... how could anyone ever... recover from... this... horrible...”  
Asriel wordlessly reached an arm out to pull Frisk close, the human herself close to tears at the abomination in front of her.  
“We'll find them” he whispered to her.  
“No matter what we'll find them and bring them home” Frisk seemed to calm a bit at his reassuring words.

“Speaking of finding them, Frisk, you said you found out where Bastard Gospodar got the coats?” Undyne asked, rising from her chair, ready to spring into action.  
Frisk corrected herself, wiping her face with an arm.  
“Uh, y-yeah... here” She pulled out the note from her pocket and spread it out on the table. The assembled group leaned close to read it.

_6679 Levan st. Room 8_

_Ask for Mr. Croak_

_To sell:_

_(2) coat, fur (monster (feline)) – XL_  
_(2) coat, fur (monster(ursine)) – XXL_  
_(2) coat, fur (monster(unknown)) – XL_  
_(1) coat, fur (monster(unknown)) - XXL_

_Total: 800.000G_

“Ngaaah! Looks like a friggin' shopping list” Undyne sneered. “What the hell is wrong with these people!?”  
“I intend to ask them once I get my hands on them...” Asriel growled quietly.  
“Then why wait? We got the address, let's roll!” Undyne burst and immediately turned for the door.  
“Wh- wait, Undyne, we can't just do that!” Asriel called after her.  
“And why the heck not?!”  
“Because it's private property!”  
“So what, we're just gonna drop it!?”  
“No, of course not, I... I'll talk to dad, he might be able to get us permission”  
Undyne glared at the prince with disbelief in her one eye, slowly shaking her head.

“Asriel... these are your people that might be trapped down there”  
“I know, but think about what's at stake here. If we just barge in and violate our permit, we could lose everything”  
“... how long will it take to get this permission of yours?”  
“Not much more than a day... I think”  
The warrior fish closed her eye, taking a deep, long breath.  
“Prince Asriel... do you remember what I told when we spared yesterday?”  
Asriel gulped, nodding slowly while looking nervous “Uh, yeah, something about me... and-”  
“You sacrifice too much for this peace of yours, punk! I get it, I want to live in peace here on the surface just as much as you, but not if it means we have to turn our backs on everything... now, if you'll excuse me” She finished turning and walking for the door.

The heavy thump of a foot stomping down stopped her in her tracks.  
“UNDYNE!” Asriel shouted behind her. She turned around, a smirk of amusement and sudden surprise on her face.  
Asriel himself looked just about as surprised as everyone else at his sudden outburst but managed to compose himself somewhat.  
“As...a-as your prince and fu-future king, I-I-I order you to stand down!” He demanded, trying for a stern tone but not quite succeeding.

Undyne didn't flinch in the slightest, instead, a quiet chuckle passed from her.  
“Fuhuhu! Well, well, look who's finally grown into those horns of his"  
She walked forward, causing the prince to cower slightly beneath her gaze. She jabbed a finger into his chest.  
“But you are not my king yet, punk, nor would I obey that command even If you were. I joined the Royal Guard to kick butt and to keep monsters butts from getting kicked and that’s exactly what I intend to do, with or without your blessing...your highness”  
“Undyne... please, we could lose everything!”  
“You sure you haven't already?” She finished turning once again to leave. This time no one stopped her.

Frisk moved to give a supportive hug to her brother, while Alphys had to take a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, at once nervous at the conflict between The Captain of the Guard and The Prince of Monsters and close to fainting at the coolness of Undyne standing up to the prince. Boy, she was so cool!  
…  
But was she doing the right thing? There were no doubt that her love took her duties very seriously, and charging off to save the missing monsters without care for the consequences was a very noble thing... but also very brash.  
But most of all, she just hoped she would return safe and sound.

* * *

 

It was night out when the shuttle carrying the captain of the guard landed on an empty street, directly beside the address on Levant Street. A perpetual darkness that mirrored the one in Undyne's thoughts. The area itself was mostly run-down and abandoned, with not a single human in sight. 'Fortunate' Undyne mused, not that it mattered much. For all the Dreemurr's talks about protecting and caring for the people, she knew that the actual job of protecting laid with the Royal Guard, it was literally in the job description.  
It was also why she could understand her prince's reticence to go down to the city without a permit. As prince, he had a duty to care for the overall welfare of the people, and he could ruin that if he were to violate the sanction. Lucky then, that she wasn't royalty.  
She knew that his heart was probably in the right place, but this was a time for action! Not sitting and waiting for dad to get and give the go-ahead.

Not surprisingly, the address was an old apartment building. Several shattered windows revealed darkened interiors and most of the brickwork looked like amateur hour at a kindergarten painting class.  
She entered trough a creaking door, finding a decrepit stairway, rotten wood, and desolation. An old brass plate showed a room 8 on the 3rd floor.  
“Gotcha” she whispered under her breath, silently creeping up the stairs.

In truth, Undyne's reason for coming along on the expedition was two-folded, sure, it was awesome to get out of Ebott and actually see what lay beyond, but other than ensuring that Frisk and Asriel stayed safe, something she would have demanded to do if Asgore hadn't asked her, this was personal. 33 monsters had disappeared on her watch and while it could be said that they had been taken while outside her jurisdiction it was still a slight against the honor of the guard. Something she intended to rectify right now.

She reached the door, wasting no time confirming the location and planting a firm kick beside the lock of the door. The pitiful thing flew off its hinges, revealing the musty room beyond.  
“By order of the Royal Guard, Surrender!” Undyne shouted trough the passage, pointing an energy spear trough and letting its glow illuminate the room. No answer was forthcoming, however.

She took her first step inside. The floor was covered in regular dust, as was all of the furniture. She entered what must once have been the kitchen and dining room. A small, round, rotten table stood, flanked on either side be equally decrepit chairs. A quiet frustration welled up in Undyne. This place was a dump! No one had been here in ages! A complete waste of... no, wait. There! A set of footprints in the dust, though, they had a strange triangular shape and looked like it had 3 toes. She also spotted what appeared to be a pair of receipts beneath a radiator.

Someone HAD been here, but they were obviously long gone. Even worse they were fresh out of leads now...

“Well, that's disappointing...” a voice suddenly echoed trough the room.  
Undyne spun around, aiming an energy spear at the source. A human shadow was outlined against the brightness of the stairwell. It looked like someone young.

“I had hoped your posse would have been more... numerous, but I guess the prince and his sister are a bit more careful than that”  
“Who are you, human?” Undyne barked at him.  
“I'm not going to tell you my real name... but for now, you can call me The Prophet” The human answered, stepping into view as he did.

The Prophet was a... quite sad specimen, for a human. He looked like someone in his mid 20'ies, but at the same time quite a bit older than that. He wore a dark blue hoodie and beige cargo pants. His skin looked pale and sickly, and dark bags hung under his eyes. His eyes themselves, however, bloodshot as they were, had a bright, icy glint to them.  
Despite his apparent weak look, Undyne had a bad feeling about him.

She cocked her head to the side in an amused grin.  
“Fuhuhu, The Prophet? Really?”  
“Well... I like it... But nevermind that” The Prophet answered with a shake of his head.  
“You came here looking for the missing monsters, right?  
“So what if I did? You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?” Undyne challenged, tightening her grip on her spear.

“In fact, I do. You won't find them here, but if you do what I say, I might just tell you. You see, they're in my custody, I have them and- *Woosh* Waaah!”  
In the blink an eye, Undyne had thrown her spear, the projectile stopping just in front of The Prophet's head, less than a centimeter away from piercing the space between his eyes.

“Woah, wha-” He tried.  
“Congratz, punk” Undyne said “You just made Ebott public enemy number 1” A new spear materialized in her hand “Now, be a good little kid and tell me where they are”  
“You... you're really going to kill a human... just like that?” The Prophet said, fear evident in his voice.  
“That depends entirely on you. Tell me where they are or I'll MAKE you tell me where they are!”  
“M-make the spear go away and I'll tell you!”  
“Nah, how about I just drag your sorry butt back to the airship, then we can have a niiiiiice long talk”  
“I... I-I didn't come alone”  
“What?”  
“If you kidnap me, everyone will know. Th-Think of the crisis it would cause for you!”  
“...”  
“Just... make the spear go away and I'll tell you everything”  
“... Fine”  
With a snap of her fingers, the spear that had been millimeters away from perforating The Prophet's skull vanished. Relief washing over him.

“Hah, thank you” He breathed.  
“NGAAH! Don't get cute. Spill the beans before I spill you out on the floor!”  
A mask of hardness came over The Prophet. He dug his hands into his hoodie.  
“First, I'll need you to do me a favor”  
“You what!?”  
“There's a place not too far from here, with a lot of bad people. If you-”  
“YOU LITTLE WEASEL! I'LL-” Undyne roared as she charged forward to seize the human by the throat, but then stopped. No, not stopped, she froze, standing stock still, her surprise-filled eye the only part of her able to move. The room around her seemed to darken and fade out of view, except for those chilly blue orbs in The Prophet's head.  
“I'm getting really tired of your lip, Captain Undyne. If you can't control yourself, I'll have to pacify you and believe me, you wouldn't want that”

Suddenly, Undyne regained her motor functions. She collapsed onto her knees, her whole body itching and summing as if it were asleep.  
“Wha- what the hell did you do to me!?” She hissed in between strained breaths.  
“Nevermind that. I need you to listen. Do as I say and I promise you... you will at least get to see your missing people”

Undyne had to make a conscious effort to not immediately scream “no” back at the human. He clearly possessed some strange ability, but more than that he was the enemy! If what he said was true then he might be the one behind the kidnapping of the 33 monsters, and The Royal Guard of The Kingdom of Ebott did NOT negotiate with criminals like that!

She looked up, catching a glimpse of the human wiping a sudden nosebleed away with a handkerchief. His right eye also seemed to be watering and the eyelid was twitching. Perhaps his strange power caused him harm? In any event, he looked scrawny and weak for a human, if she could just get close, he wouldn't stand a chance.

“Alright, what do you want me to do?” She asked.  
A smug grin of satisfaction came across The Prophets face. He paced left and right in front of the captain as he spoke.  
“Much better. Now, what I want you and the rest of airship band is-'hah'- to pay a visit to a group of monster-human traffickers. You see-'huh- I didn't kidnap your people, I only bought them. These guys, they-'hah'... dammit, excuse for a second. I can't handle stressful situations that well”

Undyne had only managed to raise a questioning eyebrow at the human's sudden shortness of breath when she saw why. He stepped back and retrieved an asthma inhaler from his pocket, tilting his head back and putting the inhaler to his mouth.

And taking his eyes off Undyne.

She jumped at him, aiming at his midsection in an attempt to tackle him to the floor. It was a move she had practiced a hundred times over. Too fast for any regular monster or even human to dodge... unless they had expected it.

The brief rush of predatory glee in Undyne's stomach turned cold as the human immediately sidestepped her. Removing the inhaler from his mouth as he did. With a bitter taste in her mouth, Undyne realized it had probably been a feint all along.  
She didn't have to feel the shame overlong. At once, her body turned stiff as a board again and she collapsed onto the floor. It was like a cold claw had grasped her mind and soul, freezing her body numb.

“As expected” The Prophet said “I'm not called The Prophet without reason. I knew you were never gonna anything I'd ask of you”  
He kneeled down beside her, turning her around so she could see him. Even completely paralyzed, Undyne was raging inside but whatever impossible magic this human seemed to possess had completely frozen her.  
“And now that you've seen my face, I can't let you run off and talk either. At least, not until all of this is over. Hopefully, your friends aboard the airship; the prince, his sister and that scaly lizard... huh, you... kinda like her a lot, don't you?”  
If Undyne could have screamed, she would have. Just as The Prophet had mentioned Alphys, she had felt a cold tendril burrow into her mind and... extracting something. Could he... read mind? Or souls?

He shook his head above her.  
“Ah, it doesn't matter much. Hopefully, they'll be more controllable than you... and as for keeping you silent, well, don't say I didn't warn you” He finished with a surprisingly sad smile.

Undyne, however, didn't have long to ponder it. Immediately, her mind was filled with the most terrible, horrible visions imaginable.

She saw Ebott in flames, its citizens hunted down in the streets by strange shadows. She tried to go to them to protect them but found, to her horror, that she was bound to something. She had full view of the atrocity going on, but no way of intervening. Powerless. Something forced her head and eye to open. She saw everything at once, every brutal detail.

Shesawtheroyalfamilydraggedintothestreetsandtroughmudridiculedandlaughedatbythecruelshadowsbeforebeingburtallyexecutedbydecapacitationtheirdustvanishingalongwiththedreamsofawholeraceshesawtheskelebrossansandpapyrusfigthingfortheirlivesinsidetheirhousesansdoinghisbestbythrowingfurnitureandotherobstaclesattheshadowtonoavailashadowytendrilshotoutpiercinghimtroughthechestandendinghimpapyruswasonhisknesspleadingtheshadowstostoptheviolencebuttheydidnotheedhimashadowyaxecutdownandcleavedhimintwainbutmosthorribleofallshesawalphyscapturedboundandtorutedbyleeringcrudeshadowsthatslashedherwithcrudeinstrumentsandstabbedherwithwickedbladesshescreamedinpaincallingforanyoneforundynetosaveher

but there was nothing she could do.

The Prophet sighed in discomfort. At his feet, the once vaunted captain of the royal guard shook and gasped as she was forced trough her worst nightmare. It was something that would leave her catatonic for quite a while and would silence her without killing her... even though she may wish it had once it was over.

It was a cruel method, he knew, but what else could he do?

“Powerless to act while your friends are hunted down and killed? Yeah, I can imagine that would suck” he breathed.  
He retrieved a pen and a piece of paper from his hoodie, quickly scribbling something on it before lodging it in a chink in her armor, somewhere it would be easily found.  
“Sorry... but, I'm only trying to save everyone” he said with sincerity, before standing up and walking away.  
It was night out. Normally, the light from the city would make the stars in the skies invisible but this high up aboard the airship, they were as clear to Asriel as their purpose. If only fate had been so bright...

* * *

 

 

After Undyne had been gone for several hours, he had finally relented, going down to the surface along with Frisk to look for her. They had found her... but they almost wished they hadn't.  
According to Alphys, who had been close to tears while checking what was wrong with the captain, she was practically literally frozen in terror and fear. There was no danger for her life. Her sanity, though, was another story.

Now, Asriel stood out on the balcony on the lower section of the airship, gazing up at the stars. Beside him was a laptop, borrowed from Alphys, with “CALLING” written in large letters. Alphys had installed a program that would allow them to talk with Asgore, who had a similar thing in his office.  
Asriel almost hoped he wouldn’t pick up. How was he going to explain what had happened? And how was his father going to respond?

“Ahh, this finicky machine! Is it this button?” A slightly annoyed but nonetheless reassuringly jovial and familiar voice said from the screen.  
“Howdy, dad!” Asriel greeted.  
“Baah! Who's there!?”  
“Haha, dad, it's me! On the screen”  
“Oh, indeed it is. Howdy, my son!” Asgore greeted, finally facing the camera.  
“Hey... how... how is it going?” Asriel asked, a bit lamely.  
“Good enough, I suppose. Your mother has been worried sick ever since you left, hehehe” Asgore answered, before suddenly looking a bit more serious.  
“And... I just received Alphys's report... I can't say I don't share your mother's nervousness. Is it... is it true?”  
Asriel bit his lip, looking away in contemplation.  
“Yes, she... she's not in any danger but... something happened to her, we don't know what”  
“Good golly...” The king breathed. “To think, trapped in your own mind and forced trough...”  
He sighed, shaking his head dejectedly.

“My son, don't you think it would be best if you came home? Whoever did this... and to Undyne even... surely they would be more than willing to cause you and Frisk great harm. Wouldn't it-”  
“We're NOT running away now” Asriel said strongly.  
“Asriel, if this is about some notion that you feel a need to prove yourself, I can only say you don't need to... your crownquest, you more than-”  
“No, it's not that...” He sighed, gripping the edges of the table.  
“You... you've always said me and Frisk are the future of monsters and humans... but what future would that be if we ran away from danger at every turn? If we abandoned those we're supposed to provide a future for? I don't want that. I want to do the best I can, dad”  
A few seconds of silence occurred between the prince and king, both of them unmoving. Then, finally, a small good-intentioned chuckle broke from the screen.  
“Hohoho, golly, I don't if I should be proud of you or terrified” Asgore said.  
“Though I suppose at this point, nothing I could say would make you turn back, hehe...he”  
Asriel's answer was a small, accepting smile, more than enough of a reply.  
“Still, please, be careful” Asgore began again “The first time you went to a human town with your sibling... you-”  
“I know, but I promise, we won't fall”  
“That makes me happy to hear. Your mom and I miss you both so much, and we can't wait to see you again”  
“Likewise, dad”  
“Hah... well, it was good talking to you, my son. Good night”  
“Good night, dad. See you soon”  
“Yes, we- Oh, wait a second! There's something I probably ought to mention”  
“Oh? What's that?”  
“Well, this might be nothing, but...”

On the screen, Asgore looked aside, contemplating something.  
“The... person who tried to kill you at your speech.... you remember him?” Asgore said.  
“No, I was... kinda out of it”  
“Ah, yes of course... well, Undyne told me that when she caught up to him, he mentioned a... certain someone”  
Asriel leaned close, at once intrigued and scared at his father's nervous tone.  
“Who was it?” He asked.  
Asgore sighed.  
“As I said, it's probably nothing, maybe she heard wrong, but... the assassin mentioned a “general””  
“A general?... wait, wasn't the assassin a monster?”  
“As difficult as it is to believe, yes, he was”  
“But how come a monster like him would work for a human? And to do something like murder?”  
“Well, that's just it. So far the human military haven't actually been hostile to us... which leads me to believe that this general might not be a human at all”  
Asriel furrowed his brow in slight disbelief. A monster general? As far as he knew, there had never been such a thing, the highest rank available in the Royal Guard was captain, and it had been like that forever...

With one exception, he suddenly remembered. His eyes went wide as he recalled one of his many runs as Flowey, where he had raided the Librarby for exciting books to read and then burn. One of which told of The Royal Guard's history... and mentioned one single instance of a general of the guard.

“No way...” Asriel breathed.  
“Bu-but didn-didn't he die? During the war?” He asked.  
“That's what we all believed” Asgore replied with a sigh “but in truth, his demise was never confirmed.  
Asriel looked down, trying to proses this new information. As far as he remembered, the general's exploits had been legendary. He had been a true hero of monsterkind, noble, valiant and loyal to the extreme.

Which only made the revelation that he might be behind his attempted assassination even harder to believe.  
“I know it's... incredible, to say the least” Asgore broke in.  
“And there's every chance this general is not who we think it is... but... Asriel I want you to promise me something” Asgore leaned close to the screen, moving a claw up to touch. Almost instinctively, Asriel moved one of his own up.

“I want you to promise that, if either you or Frisk... If you in any way, shape or form, at any time of the day, ever come across the name...”  
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  
“If you ever hear the name “Caderas” I want you to contact me immediately. Please, promise me this”  
Asriel chuckled weakly, smiling as he did. He remembered how the book detailing the history of the guard had gone into great length to tell the exploits of the general... but also his bond with the then prince of monsterkind.

“If he really is alive... and for some reason has gone against us, he might just be the gravest threat we have yet faced” Asgore continued, a slight pain in his eyes.  
“Don't try to take him on if you find him. Even you, golly, even dear Undyne I fear, couldn’t hope to match him”  
Asriel shivered a bit at the thinly-veiled threat. He could only hope that they were both wrong about this. The legends spoke of how General Caderas had been, at the time, the only monster able to take on human opponents in a fair fight, how generous he had been in times of peace but also how merciless he could be in battle. Truly, monsterkind had never seen another quite like him.

“I promise” Asriel said, pressing a bit harder with his claw on the screen.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just FYI, the text about Undyne's nightmare vision is purposefully garbled. I just removed spaces and punctuation. I thought it looked a bit more... I dunno, chaotic? It does actually describe her nightmare, if you can make heads or tails of it.


	11. The Dark Descent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there folks! A bit of a shorter one this time around, but!... I can imagine the next one... might have some stuff!

Once, a long time ago, even before Chara had fallen down, Asriel's pre-school teacher had brought a terrarium inhabited by an ant colony to the classroom. It was used in an example of societal organization; the ant queen was the national leader, the warriors; the police and military and the workers; the civilians that kept the “country” going. Of course, like most of his peers, Asriel hadn't paid much attention at the time, too awed by the deep, intricate network of the ant mound. Being an ant hill, one would think it was a simple thing, and, in truth, it was, but it was still fascinating to see another civilization on a macro level.

He didn't have the same sense of interest now, however. Instead, disgust and just a little bit of trepidation filled him.  
Alphys had found a small note stuck in a chink in Undyne's armor, something she had initially missed in her mad rush to make sure she was ok. The note itself; 3 simple lines:

Koalveth abandoned power station.

Your people were there.

\- The Prophet -

It was frustrating being toyed with like this. A note found a Countess Gospodar's estate had led them to a decrepit apartment, now another was herding them to a run-down power plant.  
But unlike the apartment, this place was far from abandoned.

The airship had a large glass “lens”-like window in the front of the balloon. At first, Asriel had guessed it was merely just that; a window, but Alphys had revealed her genius yet again.  
The lens was, in reality, a kind of large x-ray device, capable of seeing what might lay miles beneath the earth.

And underneath Koalveth Power Station, was an anthill of scum and villainy. Tunnels, storage rooms, offices...  
… and cell-blocks.

They couldn't zoom in close enough to see every detail, but they could see enough; an underground criminal group dealing with kidnapping, extortion, and slavery. If the note was correct then they might find a clue to the missings monster's location somewhere in there.   
But that was just the problem; getting in.

“There's a lot of guards” Alphys observed, pointing a laser pointer, something she used to make up for her short stature, at a few figures on the screen.  
“And only 1 entry” Frisk followed up.  
“From what we can see” Asriel interjected.  
“We don't have time to look for alternatives, and even if we did, we would get detected for sure of we tried” Frisk answered.

Silent agreement answered her from both Alphys and Asriel. From the looks of it, there truly was only 1 way in; a long stairway down, leading into what looked like a kind of reception. From there, one could easily get to the cell-blocks. A few kidnapped humans were held captive there and would need to be rescued.  
They would also have to find something, or someone, that could tell them where the 33 kidnapped monsters were, Asriel subtly reminded himself.

A sad sigh escaped Frisk at his side and it tore at his heart to hear such a sound from her.  
“There's so many down there...” she said, almost a whisper. “Why... how could anyone ever bring themselves to do something like this?”

Asriel sighed himself, understanding that she was talking about the kidnappers, not the victims. Indeed, there were quite a few down there.  
“I thought mom used to say th-that everyone wanted what was best for the world...”

“For some people, the world is really small” Asriel answered, gently reaching and arm out to Frisk and pulling her close. “For some people, all the world is money and whatever it takes to get it. Nothing else matters, not even other people”  
“I don't understand... Frisk whispered, burrowing her face in his side.  
Asriel would have liked to say that he didn't understand either, but lying to Frisk was something he would never do.  
Once, all the world to him was how to have fun, and damn what happened to everyone else.

“Statistically speaking, kidnapping and extortion on this scale have an 88% chance of being discovered within 3 months” Alphys said.

Silence.

“E-ehh, j-just saying...”  
  
“There's no way we can have The Royal Guard knock their door down” Asriel said to no one in particular “Even if The Suits ever authorized it, getting the paperwork in order could take much longer than 3 months”  
“Which means we will have to do it” Frisk concluded.  
“Well, we can't sneak in”  
“No... so we'll just have to enter exactly as they would expect us to”  
“I get the feeling you have an idea, Frisk?”  
A devilish smile came across Frisk's face. Asriel felt a cold run down his back. Last time she had done that was when she presented her idea of how to infiltrate the Gospodar Estate.

“Oh yes, Azzy, a very good idea.

* * *

 

“This is a very stupid idea” Asriel mumbled.  
“Oh, quit your grumbling, it'll be fine”  
“Easy for you to say! All you have to do is hand me over to those creeps!”  
“Exactly. I have to do all the talking and dealing, while all you have to do is get put in the slammer and break out. Easy peasy”  
“Frisk... I don't know where you keep getting the idea I can just do that”  
“Well, if it means anything, I believe in you” Frisk finished. Asriel suspected it was meant in sarcasm, but it sounded sincere.  
It helped but he would need more than just reassurance for the coming escapade.

The 2 of them stopped up in front of an old shed, inside which laid a stairwell that leads into the supposed lobby of the underground compound. Frisk's “plan”, if I could even be called that, was frighteningly simple. Seeing as they couldn't sneak in, they would have to go trough the front door, disguised. Seeing as both Frisk and Asriel were well-known and recognizable, Alphys had provided her M.A.S.C (Magically-Assisted Stealth & Concealment) device to help out. A prototype that allowed them to change their appearance for an, as of yet, untested, amount of time. Frisk complexion had turned a bit more tanned and her hair had changed to a faded blonde. Asriel's fur had turned a deep brown, with his ears a few nuances lighter, giving him a more dog-like look. Asriel wore one of his older hoodies; dark-blue and with a few smears of dirt to give the indication that Frisk had fought, overpowered and then captured him.

Frisk gave Asriel's handcuff a once over, confirming they were locked tightly. Their plan consisted of Frisk marching Asriel in and “selling” him to the slavers and while she was at it, see if she could inquire into the so-called “prophet” mentioned in the note. Asriel was then supposed to somehow engineer his escape once he was in, freeing everyone else that was locked up in the process.

Exactly how he was supposed to do that, though. the plan didn't mention.

A few years ago, Undyne and Alphys had constructed an underground labyrinth beneath their house, filled with locked doors and traps. Undyne had then, almost literally, tossed Asriel into it, citing her intention to make him the “world's first royal escape artist”. He supposed he had learned a few tricks during his stay in Undyne's house of tricks and traps, but in truth, most of his time there had been spent bashing his head against a wall, figuratively and literally.

And, escaping from a homemade escape-course under safe surveillance was a far cry from what they were about to do.

“Well, here goes nothing” Frisk breathed “Are you ready?”  
“Ready to be sold off to a bunch of slavers?... As ready as I can be, I guess”  
“Good enough, now, heads down and try to look defeated”  
“Uhh, how- argh!” Frisk suddenly yanked the chain connected to Asriel's cuffs. He collapsed unto his knees.  
“Ah! Frisk, what-”  
“Hold that look!” Frisk ordered.  
“Wha-”  
“Just hold that look! You look about as miserable and betrayed as can be”  
Asriel rose to his feet, doing his best to keep the facade.  
Frisk gave a few small yanks on the chain.  
“Heh, I could get used to this”  
“F-Fr-Frisk!?”  
“I'm kidding, I'm kidding”  
“Oh, eh, haha...”  
“... Or am I?”  
With a gulp, Asriel turned around, beginning their descent underground.

* * *

 

The stairway down was a cold, stony one. Cobwebs cluttered the corners, and only a few dull light bulbs lit up the way every 10 steps or so. Down at the bottom, however, light shone trough a doorway, and the tapping of buttons could be heard.   
They entered trough, Asriel first, bowed down and head hanging low with Frisk following behind. The room they had guessed to be a kind of reception was just that. A square room with doors at each side and a wide desk in the middle. Here, they both had to stop up in brief surprise. Manning the desk and the computer on it was a monster. It resembled a froggit, but more bloated and humanoid and with larger eyes, more like a toad. It wore a white shirt with suspenders, black slacks, and an accountants cap. It rolled one of its eyes to regard the 2 newcomers.

“What's this then?” It croaked at them. Frisk was silent, perhaps still surprised. Asriel gave a small kick to her shin, hoping none of the guards would notice.  
“Eh, arrr! I be the dread catcher; Frizz the fierce! I be hearing tales that this 'ere place be a good spot to turn in me haul for a pretty doubloon or 2!”

Asriel closed his eyes in abject horror and mental facepalm. They had agreed that Frisk should probably use a more thuggish tone when she delivered Asriel... Of course, Frisk being Frisk, all they knew was a pirate accent.

The toad ducked his head below his desk, apparently looking at something for a few seconds, before jumping off his chair and motioning for 2 guards, standing side-by-side at one of the doors.  
“Take him to the holding area” it croaked.  
“Now hold on just a merry minute!” Frisk barked “I'm not about t' just hand over this here prime specimen for a mess of hot air! If ye be taking him, ye better be ready to pay out of yer noses!”  
“Worry not, Frizz. We will merely take him to a more secure environment while we discuss payment”  
“Arr, in that case, fine. But ye better not be up to any funny business!”  
“I assure your, Frizz the fierce, our business is anything but funny”

The 2 guards rounded on Asriel. One was a broadly-built human while the other was a not-so-wide bull-like monster. Both wore a weirdly eye-catching blue business suit.  
The human took the chain and its key from Frisk (Or Frizz) and roughly yanked it, sending Asriel to his knees once again.  
“Don't hurt hi- I mean, uh, arr, careful with the merchandise ye scallywag! It be worth more than a galleon-hold'o rum!” Frisk barked.  
“Arno, please, no unnecessary roughness” The toad ordered with a dismissive wave. With that, the 2 guard, with Asriel in chain, marched trough the door behind the desk, closing it shut.

The toad returned to his desk, sitting down.  
“Now, Frizz the fierce, seeing as this is your first time here, there's a few things I need to verify with you. Call it a customer survey”  
“T'is fine with me” Frisk answered.  
“Right then. So, first of, how much would expect from your “catch”?”  
“Arr, what be the going rate for satyrs these days?”  
“Satyrs?... Ah, caprines, of course. Well, he looked strong, fit and healthy. Easily a few hundred thousand. Perhaps even a million if we can find the right buyer”  
“A prince's ransom in gold, then!”  
“Uhh, something like that. Next, do you swear to never reveal anything about this location and what we do?”  
“Aye!”  
“Do you promise to never interfere with our businesses?”  
“Aye!”  
“Are you 5 years old?”  
“Aye!... eh, what?”  
“Look, why don't you just drop the act...” The toad leaned forward on his desk, clasping his wiry hands together “... Frisk Dreemurr”   
From the doors on either side of Frisk, another pair of guards emerged in their blue suits; one monster, one human.  
“Ar-arrr! What be the meaning of this treachery!?” Frisk tried.  
The toad-like monster rose from his chair, calmly rounding his desk to approach Frisk as he spoke “I don't know what the hell you think we're doing here, but this is not some kind of drop-off point where you can just unload some random schmuck you found on the streets”  
He leaned on his desk, arms crossed, as the 2 guards approached Frisk.  
“If you think any self-respecting underground joint operates like that, you need to drop the cartoons, little lady. Now, make no mistake, you're about to die, but if your answer this next question, you can at least die quickly”  
Frisk gulped. Fear ran trough her body, but the steel-clad core of determination within her was waking up in response.  
“How did you find out about us, and where to find us? Who told you?” The toad asked.  
“Wha- what will you do with the one who told me?”  
“Well, we only deal with people we feel we can trust. If there's been a mistake somewhere, then that mistake will have to be... removed”

Frisk narrowed her eyes at the toad. The one who had told them was the mysterious “Prophet” mentioned in the note, but the only name she had to give was Countess Gospodar, who clearly had dealt with the slavers before.  
But giving up her name would also mean the death of her.  
“I'm not... telling you anything!” Frisk hissed.  
“Oh bother...” The toad sighed. “Well, its what I suspected you'd say. The stories about your determination are legendary, Frisk Dreemurr, but, you're still human”  
He leaned close, his smelling to Frisk like rotten compost.  
“And every human has a breaking point. You'll just simply take more work than usual”

One of the guards harshly grabbed Frisk by the shoulder and pulled her up. She kicked out in a panic, but the other guard quickly stepped in to hold her legs.  
They dragged her towards one of the doors, Frisk kicking, punching and wriggling as much as she could to get free, but the guards we too strong. She bit down hard on one of the guard's arms. “Gah! You bitch!” He shouted, responding with a cruel backhand, eliciting a scream of pain from Frisk.

Over at his desk, the toad-like monster sighed in annoyance and reached up to massage his temples. The id-device under his desk had once again unveiled at plot at infiltrating them but never had he expected the crown prince of monsters and the determined child, Frisk. That in itself was bad news; if they knew where they were located, chances were that somebody else did. They would have to grill Frisk and Asriel for the exact details, but for now, the slavers had quite clearly been compromised. He would send word to his boss, then send out the order to pack up.

He sat down, finding his computer as he had left it; a list of previous and potential buyers. Frisk, with her legendary determination, would simply be too much trouble. She would never submit to anyone else, better to just kill her.

The prince on the other hand... now there was a lucrative item. If they could somehow dispel the magical camouflage that made him look like a dog, there was quite an extensive list of billionaires, organizations and general well-off sadists that would pay enough to buy a small country for the chance to have the prince of monsters as their personal plaything or beating horse... or in this case, goat.

The thought gave the frog a slimy smile. He supposed the royal children coming here was a mixed blessing, but they would have to hurry. Despite the cordon, there was no doubt that Asgore would send the royal guard bearing down on them if he found out what had happened...

But once he did, all he would find was an abandoned power station and defeat.

* * *

 

“Move it, bozo” the human barked and gave a sharp push to Asriel's shoulder. He hissed in pain at his touch. The human quite clearly had a high LV and the push felt more like a rock smashing into him.

The 2 guards and prisoner marched down a cold concrete hallway, towards a rusted metal door at the end. Here and there, the floor was stained with dark spots. It was clear that many had walked trough here, and a few might even have died where they now walked. They had replaced Asriel's handcuff with another, strange pair. Slightly glowing blue and absolutely freezing to the touch. A cold that seemed to go more than skin deep and into his soul itself.

“So, whaddya think they're gonna do with the girl?” the monster guard asked.  
“Eh, probs gonna hand her over to the, heh, “intern””  
“Man, that guy give me the creeps. He has that kind of “cool, party guy that's all sweet and nice but go into his basement and it's the little shop of horrors” sense to him”  
“You're not that far off... Hey, I said keep moving!”   
Another shove to the back of his shoulder. Asriel gasped in pain and fell to a knee, quickly rising up again before his captors retaliated. He rolled his bruised shoulder, trying to get some sense of feeling into the bruised area.  
From the sound of it, he would have to somehow escape as fast as possible. If Frisk was already in trouble, there was no time to waste.

“I kinda liked our old guy, y'know? The one before the intern?” the monster guard started up again.  
“Yeah, he had that grandfatherly vibe. Made a mean casserole as well”  
“Ew, you actually ate that?”  
“I try not to think about how he got the meat. I mean, he-”  
A scream suddenly echoed down the hallway, pained and fearful. And one Asriel recognized.  
He stopped up. He stopped walking, he stopped breathing, everything stopped in that one dreadful moment of realization that Frisk was in pain.

“Sheesh, they're not wasting any time” The monster guard joked with a laugh.  
“I don't blame them. If the stories about Frisk are only half true, they'll need every second they can get if they're gonna break her... oh, goddammit, KEEP MOVING!”

Asriel heard the subtle shuffle of feet behind him as the human leaned his whole body into the incoming push. So far, each one had hit a specific point on the back of his shoulder. And, as Undyne had told him a thousand times; if you absolutely have to beat someone, never try the same trick twice.  
A mere split second before the hand would have connected, Asriel ducked his shoulder low, and in one graceful move, spun on his heel to turn around, wrapped the chain connecting his handcuffs around the offending limb and swiftly turned his hands.  
It had all gone by so quickly and suddenly that by the time the human realized what had happened, his hand was twisted a painful 180-degrees. He fell back on his bottom with a startled yelp, clutching his now almost alien-looking hand.  
“Woah, what the-” the bull-like monster guard began, drawing a small club hanging on his hip. He swung out with it, the shock of the sudden violence from before making it a clumsy swing and Asriel easily ducked under it. He put his paws together and struck out in a double-punch to the monster's gut. It doubled over in response, dropping the club and gasping for the breath that had been forced out of it.  
Asriel, in turn, quickly reached up and wrapped the chain of his handcuffs around the guard's neck. He followed up with a powerful knee to the monster's forehead, strong enough to knock the bull out, and send it flying upwards with enough force that it broke trough the chain connecting to handcuffs. It landed on it's back, bruised and with a large, angry red spot between its eyes but very much alive.

Asriel quickly looked it over, massaging the area around his wrists. He could move his hands now, but the strangely cold cuffs were still on. He supposed that his escape would warrant a C grade in Undyne's combat school. All in all, it had taken him roughly 5 seconds to subdue 2 guards and break out of his restraints, a sub-par time, according to Undyne.

But there was no time to worry that! He had to find Frisk and then-

A blaring alarm suddenly went off. Asriel turned, seeing the human guard with the broken hand down at the door they had come trough, waving and shouting at someone to come help him. That “someone” was soon after revealed to be a large group of yet more guards.

“Dang” Asriel whispered to himself. No way around getting into a fight now. If he wanted to get back to Frisk he would have to go trough them. But not here.

He turned on his heel and ran, towards the door he had initially been herded towards, angry shouts bellowing right behind him.  
On human terms, if you had to fight against a large group of people you would preferably want to fight them in a narrow corridor like the one they were in now as they would only be able to come at you 1, maybe 2 at a time, but the confined space meant that blocking was really your only option of avoiding getting hit, and as a monster, even a harsh slap on the shoulder by a high-LV human could potentially break his arm. He needed space.

Space he, as he barged trough the door, luckily found.

It was like a large court with rows of cells on the other end of the room, some with occupants that turned their heads to look at him as he came in. This place too, was a cold, dreary room of hard, gray concrete and Asriel silently swore that he would get everyone out.

He walked to the center of the court and turned to face the incoming guards. They barged in, some stopping up, perhaps suspecting some kind of trap once they found their target smack-dab in the middle of the room, but they nevertheless moved to surround.

More guards arrived from other doors, forming a circle around Asriel. The prince himself turned his head to get a good look and bead on them all. When they finally stopped trickling in, he wagered he was surrounded by a good 50 people, each wielding some kind of billy-club or blackjack and a few even brandishing arcing cattle prods. A few of the monster guards materialized magical weapons in their hands.

“Going somewhere?” A voice shot out. One of the guards stepped forward, cradling a twisted hand to his chest; the human guard from before.  
“I'm sorry to say, but the way things work around here, if ya wanna leave, you'll have to cough up quite a lot of dough, and in your case I think we'll have to add an extra surcharge for injuries and damages” He taunted, motioning with his broken hand.  
“Payment in your dust, of course”  
“Can we get on with this? My shift ends in half an hour and I really don't wanna deal with this” Another guard called close by.  
“Let's just off him and be done with it. We can report it in as a suicide to the brass” Another joined in.  
“Hear, hear no ones' gonna miss this nobody!”  
“Now, now boys, we can't do that, gotta play this by the book” The twisted-hand man broke in. Arno, Asriel remembered the toad monster calling him.  
“The boss figures we could fetch a pretty penny for this one, and that's gonna pay diffidence back to us” He took another step forward, looking Asriel dead in the eyes.  
“So, lemme make ya an offer. You come quietly and we'll only beat ya a little bit”   
The surrounding guards broke out into a taunting laughter, jeering and hollering.  
Asriel, in turn, lowered his head. A shadow fell across his eyes.  
“Tsk...” it escaped from him  
“Hmm? Got something to say, do ya?” Arno challenged.  
“... It would seem that none of you realize who you're dealing with...”   
The laughter died down. Arno raised a questioning eyebrow and a faint smile came across Asriel's face. Perhaps it was time to drop the M.A.S.C.

He reached up and lifted his right ear, moving a claw to press on the small, circular M.A.S.C device Alphys had hidden there. For a few seconds, his form seemed to shimmer and wave and a flash of light shot out.

Then it cleared and in the middle of the room, instead of the nondescript dog-like monster now stood the white-furred crown prince of monsters. Asriel Dreemurr.

“Howdy!”

Surprised mumblings sounded from the guards and Asriel took a moment to enjoy the brief panic his revealing had caused.  
“How the heck did the do that? Is that some kind of magic BS?”   
“N-not anything I've ever seen!”   
“Holy smokes! Is that Asriel!?”  
“Aw, why don't we have one those things?”  
“Wait, wait, wait, hold up... who's this Asriel you're all talking about?”

“ENOUGH!” Arno shouted, silencing the crowd. “I don't know what your game is here “your highness”, but we're far away from Ebott and contrary to what you may think, my boys and I aren't afraid to get a little royal dust on our hands”  
A few of the guards shouted their agreement, regaining some of their composure.  
“In fact, this only simplifies things. Having royalty in our custody would only bring unnecessary heat down on us. Too big a risk”   
A devilish smile came across his face.  
“Better to just kill ya”  
“... Is it really so easy for you?” Asriel asked quietly.

“What?”  
“Is it really so easy for you to just kill someone?”  
“Pffft, why wouldn't it be? No one's ever gonna find out we did it”  
Asriel sighed, shaking his head dejectedly.  
“But before you do, please, allow me to say my piece” He stood up straight, turning to look around at the assembled guards as he spoke. As he did, he pointed at the door he had entered trough.  
“Somewhere trough there, my sister is in great peril and I intend to save her so we can both leave”  
His eyes locked on Arno, who returned it with a wary look.  
“Now, you were kind enough to give me an offer that could have spared my life. Only fair I do the same to you, right?”  
“Uhh”  
“If you allow me to leave, with my sister, **unharmed** , I will inform the royal guard of this place. Most likely it will take us a few days to get the papers in orders, more than enough time for you to relocate and hide”  
He lowered his head. A shadow fell across his features.  
“But if you stand in my way, I assure you, each of you fine gentlemen will end up behind bars with at least one part of your bodies in a cast and I will personally ensure that none of you will ever be free to hurt another living soul ever again”

Silence descended. From his peripheral vision, Asriel could see that some of the guards were, at least, a little bit intimidated. Not enough, though, not that he expected them to be.

In front of him, Arno broke out in a chortle.  
“Hahaha! Oh man! I've been in this business for quite some time now and I've dealt with my fair share of sons and daughters of national leaders and they've all been nothing but spoiled, pampered, arrogant brats. But you... wow, you really take the cake.  
He moved his good arm to gesture at the around 50 or so guards.  
“You really expect us to believe you can just march right outta here? You can't even use your magic!”  
Asriel looked down at the cuffs on his hands. So that was why they felt so cold; they suppressed his magic.  
“Do I have to find out?” He asked.  
“Damn, you're one cocky gnat. But that's about to change. Boys! Mark your calendars, today we off our first boss monster! The one who brings me the biggest handful of his dust gets a raise!”

A roar of approval met Arno's promise. The guards closed in, some wary but most with a hunger for violence in their eyes.  
A small smirk appeared on Asriel's face. 50 guards, all armed with either weapons or magic?

Good.

It had been a while since he last had a decent workout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, next chapter might have a little bit... I dunno, action? Yeah, probably.


	12. Breakout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's going to get worse before it gets better.

If the room's “interesting decor” was anything to go by, Frisk guessed she was in a torture chamber right now. The guards had dragged her here and bound her to a surgical table with leather straps, left only with full view of the dark-red, old blood splatters on the floor and walls and rusted surgical- and more regular tools lining the racks.

Frisk did her best to control her breathing and rising fear. Anyone would be terrified in her situation she guessed, but if she got any more panicked she might lose control... then “he” might come back.

A rusted metal door to her right screeched open, bringing forth a gust of cold air that made Frisk shiver. She turned her head to look.  
“Ah! Greetings, m'lady! I trust the day finds you well?”   
Frisk took a moment to look him over, finding the sight... oddly relaxing.  
It was a young, well-built human in a clean lab coat. He had a handsome tanned complexion, chiseled face and a rich, dark mane of hair that reached all the way to his shoulders. Even his voice carried an attractive exotic accent.   
“I hope my associates weren't too rough with you. A lady should almost be treated with utmost care” He entered in, placing a clipboard on a table and fidgeting with some of the tools.   
Frisk found her heart beating just a bit faster, yet strangely enough, not out of fear.  
“Who... who are you?” She asked.  
“Just a humble surgical student” the surgeon explained “They call me “the intern”, you see, I'm studying to become a surgeon but its so hard to find a decent course-related job. I was really lucky to be approached by the guys running this place. My job here is simple enough, I get some hands-on experience with a few subjects, without sedatives, and all I have to do is ask you a few questions”

He turned around to face Frisk, in the middle of attaching a piece to an electronic drill. “And I have to say, you have a marvelous bone structure, m'lady... I hear your determination is legendary, but I still aim to find your weakness. I'm sorry to say, but I'm afraid you will most likely not leave this room in one piece"”

“You don't have to dig into me to find my weakness” Frisk said, surprising herself with her calmness “I'll tell you”  
“Oh? Well, what tender button would I have to carres to open you up, then? What is your weakness?”   
“Those pretty eyes of yours”  
“What? Oh, hahahaha! Oh, Frisk, you are a delight!” He beamed with genuine joy “Oh, I can tell we're going to have a wonderful time together!...Alas, I still have a job to do. All in the name of science, I'm sure you understand”  
“It's ok, I like watching a professional work”  
“Now you flatter me, m'lady Frisk...” He came closer, the drill whirring ominously in his hand. Despite it all, Frisk found herself close to swooning.   
He sighed “But I fear that my benefactors are cruel slobs with no appreciation for grace and beauty such as yourself. They will not permit me so show you any mercy, please, don't hold it against me”  
“Let me out of these straps and I'll hold myself against you”  
“Ah ah ah, as tempting as your offer is, I have a professional obligation to see my job done”

He leaned over Frisk, raising the drill over her left leg. In an instant the fear from before was back, magnified by a hundred. She heard an evil laugh somewhere in her head and something dark rising up from below her soul. She gritted her teeth together in resistance.  
“No... you won't get me” she hissed.  
“I'm afraid getting you is no longer the issue, m'lady” The Intern answered somewhat somberly.   
“Now... let us begin"

* * *

 

Arno had seen a lot in his time. In his younger years, he had been a prison guard in a tropical dictatorship, where the only real difference between the guards and the inmates was the uniform. Later on, he had tried his hand as a “dog of war” but nothing ever really came close to being as satisfying as the sense of superiority one had over a group of prisoners. As said, he had seen a lot.

The whole guard staff piling on one prisoner? Rare, but nothing new.  
The whole guard staff piling on one prisoner and losing? Now there was something.

He saw Killian and Magno, two experienced colleagues attack the Prince of Monsters from either side. Killian with a blackjack aimed at the back of his head and Magno lashing out with a kick towards his legs. It was a pincer-maneuver that couldn't be dodged... and yet he did.

Asriel jumped into a backwards somersault that had the blackjack whiff over him and the leg sail past under him. He landed, quickly turning towards the still-recovering Magno, wrapped his arms around the guard and threw himself back over, supplexing the one guard into the other.

As he stood back up another guard seized what he thought was a moment of vulnerability. He ran at him and launched into a punch that would have decked even an adult human, yet once again The Prince evaded.

He spun on his heel, somehow ending up directly behind the now-flustered guard. He sent a kick into the back of the guards left leg, destabilizing him in such a way that he instinctively leaned backwards to recover his balance, something Asriel had no doubt counted on as he followed trough with the kick by raising his leg high and smashing his heel down into the guards face in an axe-kick that saw him out cold on the floor

“What the heck...” Arno whispered to himself as he witnessed all of this. The Prince had snapped his hand earlier so there was no way he could partake in the brawl. Even if he could, he doubted it would make much of a difference. One thing he had learned early on in this business was that one had to be careful when dealing with monsters. With all the nonsense about LV and EXP, he could easily kill a monster by just slapping it about a bit. Asriel no doubt knew that as well, seeing as he never tried to block an attack – he always dodged, bobbed, and weaved, moving around with such speed and agility it was like he was wearing roller-skates on an ice-floor covered in soap.

“B-Boss!” One of the remaining guards called to him “We can't git 'im, boss! What're we gunna do!?”  
Arno clenched his teeth in quiet frustration. The once excited gang of 50 of his men had mostly reduced to lying on the floor clutching shattered limbs or knocked out and every other second someone new joined them on the floor.  
He looked over his shoulder; to his last chance, a locked cabinet with a riot shotgun inside. There had never really been a need for it, but he guessed there was a first for everything.  
… And he'd rather not have the monster prince get his paws on him again.

He looked back to the brawl, finding a small glimmer of hope; Asriel launched into a reverse-roundhouse that sent another 2 of his men sprawling on the floor, but here Felix, a feline monster and one of the few monster guards they had threw a fireball at Asriel from behind. It was small and weak, cast in a panicked rush, but it nevertheless struck true.  
It exploded into Asriel, sending him flying into a wall, dazed.  
Here, another of his guards swooped in; Kuarl The Knockout, charging up the punch that had seen him banned from his career in professional boxing a few years ago, seeing as it had a fatality rate of almost 90%, to say nothing of its effect on monsters.

Arno relished the sight and for a moment all went as if in slow-motion. He saw Kuarl rear his right arm back while moving his left forward, then reverse it, smashing forward with a life-ending move, putting his whole body into the blow. The fist sailed forward, unstoppable, undef-  
*Crack*  
“EEEEEKKKKK!” Arno squealed with a jump at the sound of bones crunching, and he wasn't surprised to see that 2 of his guards fainted on the spot.  
Asriel had merely tilted his head to the right at the last second, causing the power punch to smash into the wall behind him. Impressively enough, a small web of cracks had formed in the wall. Kuarl The Knockout himself, however, weren't all that amazed, instead staring in dazed wonder at his arm; hanging like a wet noodle at his side.  
His wonderment ended when Asriel lashed out with a roundhouse kick, catching Kuarl's head in the nook between his foot and leg and sending him flying face-first into the wall, expanding the web just a bit more.

“Screw this” Arno hissed. He turned to the cabinet, punched a 4-digit code in and wrenched the door open. The shotgun was there, amidst the cobwebs but unfortunately enough also unloaded.  
He crouched down, resting the gun on his leg while feverishly but awkwardly trying to load the shells in with his one good hand.  
He risked a look behind him; only 4 guys left and none of them particularly strong.  
“WAAAH! *Smack*  
3 guys left now, still none of them that strong.

Arno cursed inwardly. He knew it wasn't really his job to think – didn't really pay – but he was certain that strange young guy who had ordered 33 monsters with one day's warning was somehow behind The Monster Prince being here.  
“NOOOOO!” *Crack*  
2 guys left.

He got another shell in. Truth be told, illegal black market work like this usually paid extremely well, but it wasn't without its drawbacks: No job safety insurance, no union to plead his case, you couldn't really brag about it to your mates and, perhaps most relevant at the moment; no extra hazard pay.

“I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M-” *POW*  
Whelp, down to his last man.  
He slotted the 4th shell, not fully loaded but he doubted he'd need to. He rose, resting the rack of the gun on the arm with the broken hand and turned to face this damned goat.

“No! That's my favorite leg!” *snap*  
Arno winced, greeted by the sight of Asriel smashing his elbow down into the kneecap a l of his last guard, shattering it in the process.   
He shouldered the gun, finding the goatmonster's wide-eyed, surprised face in his crosshair.  
He pulled.  
The gun bucked hard, pushing him back and step and sending reverberations throughout his body that caused a sharp pain in his hand. He gritted trough it, looking towards his target.  
Still alive, crouched to the floor and clutching his head.

“Dammit!” Arno objected out loud and racked the slide, the sound itself like a popgun at a race signaling the runners to start, with the runner, in this case, being Asriel and the finish line being him.  
He leveled the gun again at the charging monster, his hand shaking both out of fear but also the pain of the previous recoil.  
He pulled again, seeing Asriel jump to the side just as he did. He cursed out loud.  
*Ka-chuk*  
He raised the gun again, barely enough time for a last shot.  
The prince ducked low and jolted forward. He shot a paw up towards the gun, hitting the edge of the battle with the tip of his claws, not enough to knock the gun out of Arno's hand, but enough to knock it off target and lift the butt of the gun off of his shoulder and a bit up.

Arno, in his panic, pulled the trigger once again and in an instant regretted it. Asriel's swipe had displaced the stock so that it was right before his face. The recoil did the rest, causing it to smash into him.  
Arno collapsed with a jet of blood trailing from his face. The gun likewise clattered to the floor, the rust-eaten barrel shattering as he did.  
Arno whimpered as he clutched at his ruined face. To think, almost 3 decades of work like this without a hitch, only to be done in by a 20-something monster who knew -what, goat-fu? Bleat-beat?

He risked a glance trough his fingers, now stained by his own blood. His ruiner was above him, panting slightly as if the last 5 minutes had been nothing more than a brief jog. The glare of the ceiling-mounted light behind obscured him in darkness.  
“Whub... whu arf yoo?” He asked, his shattered nose slurring his words.  
“A lot of things” Asriel replied calmly. “But most of all I'm a concerned brother” He raised his hands. Immediately, Arno let out a whine and cowered.  
“Say, you wouldn't happen to have the keys to these, would you?” He asked. Arno risked a glance, Asriel was gesturing to the cuffs on his wrists.  
“Oh, eh, s-sure, here”   
With a satisfying *click* and *clank* the cuffs fell to the floor. Asriel massaged the place on wrists where they had been, it felt cold, dead almost. He created a small orb of fire in his right paw to test if his magic was still suppressed; finding that it wasn't, he threw the fireball gingerly between his paws.

“Did you know that monsters are made almost purely of magic? Surprisingly few do. I've found that most humans think we're made of flesh and blood, like them”  
Arno listened with cold fury. There was no doubt he had been beaten, defeated, but now the shame had been given time to give way to a seething hatred.  
“It's magic that makes us what we are; our personality, our world-view, even how we look. Suppressing our magic means denying our very selves, our ethos”  
He fixed his eyes on the prone Arno.  
“It's a crime so heinous I'm not even sure there's a punishment for it”  
Arno leaned over to spit out a shattered tooth.  
“Screw you. Put me in the clink for as many years ya want, I'll find a way out”  
“In that case, I'll personally put you back in... as many times as it takes”  
The fireball disappeared into his paw, forming a foci of light in the palm of it. The light moved out to his index finger, suddenly turning the claw there white-hot with heat.  
“But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I would really, really like to know...”  
He leaned down, looking Arno dead in the eyes with an iron look of his own  
“... where's my sister?”  
“Pfft, hahahaha!”  
“Hm? This doesn't strike me as an amusing moment, Arno”  
“Oh, get if your high horse. I'm not tellin' you squat, and there's nothin' you're gonna do about it. I know you”  
“You know me?”  
“'Course I do, I've read the stories. You can ask nicely as much as you want, I ain't sayin' nothin'!”

Asriel sighed and looked away for a moment as if contemplating something.  
“You're not wrong, Arno. I learned long ago that causing other people hurt and suffering has a way of coming back to you. It's something I've strived to never repeat. It's a lesson... and a promise I've held close to my heart most of my life, and there's almost nothing I'd break it for”  
He returned to look at Arno with cold determination.  
“But my sister... is one of them”  
“Wait, what're you – ARRRGH!” Arno screamed as Asriel suddenly dug the white-hot claw into his leg.  
He clutched at the limb from where a small, smoking hole now was. He tried to scurry away but Asriel reached out and grabbed hold of his other leg.  
“AH! NO! LET ME GO! WHAT THE HECK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!?” Arno screamed.   
“I told you, I'm just very concerned” Asriel replied in a voice cold enough that it shocked even him for a moment.  
He raised the white-hot claw above Arno's leg once more  
“Now, unless you want me to brand her name into your skin, answer me this...”  
He leaned close, a cold green meeting wet brown.  
“WHERE THE HELL IS MY SISTER!?”

* * *

 

Frisk had gone quiet. Her screams from before had been short, suppressed, subdued, no wonder given the stories of her unbreakable will... and yet, she was still human and screamed she had.  
She hadn't divulged who had told her and her brother of this place, a black mark in The Interns service record but a torturer against The Determined Child was like a mere peasant with a pitchfork against a dragon.

For now, she was quiet. Her breathing hard and labored, even... a bit angry, The Intern surmised. A shame, Frisk had been a good sport, but breaking her was a battle with a foregone conclusion; defeat.   
He looked over his tools, most bloody due to his work. He had refrained from hurting Frisk in a way that would cripple her; drill a few holes that avoided major arteries and nerve bundles, as damaging a creature such as her was a crime even he couldn't commit. Alas, their time was drawing to a close.

A metal door screeched open and in rushed the frog-like monster receptionist, flustered and panicked.  
“So, got anything?” He asked.  
“Yes, I think I've gotten pretty close to perfecting the Larraman Incision. I have also learned that Frisk here is quite the flirt”  
“Haha, very cute, now spill, did she tell us who gave us away?”  
“Boss, with all due respect, this is Frisk we're dealing with...”  
The toad sighed.  
“Well, guess there's nothing to be done there... but hey, you gotta flush her and then pack your gear. We gotta leave in a hurry”  
“Pfft, a professional like me can't be rushed”  
“You're still in med school, boy, and I'm sure even a professional can get his clock cleaned”  
“Wha- what do you mean?”  
“Asriel, the other one; he's loose”  
“Then sic the guards on him, what do I care that you can't keep one monster under control?”  
“You should care because he has beaten all the guards and more than likely is headed here, right now!”  
“Hahaha, good one!”  
“I'm serious!” The toad screamed with a croak.  
“He's coming, and you can bet your beakers he's gonna throw a fit once he sees what you've done to his sister”  
“... oh no... right, uh, here”

The intern withdrew a short syringe from his table, filled with a murky yellow liquid.  
“What's that?” The toad inquired.  
“Heavy duty sedatives. One drop is enough to knock out a horse. The lady deserves a peaceful death”  
“Whatever, just get it done and start packing. I think Arno might hold off Asriel for a while, but we gotta-”

The same metal door the toad had entered trough broke his monolog. Something smashed into it, sending it flying off the hinges and crashing into the wall on the other side.  
And in entered, like a demon exiting a hellish portal, Asriel, paws aflame with magical fire and teeth barred in a beastly snarl.

A snarl that dropped into one of horror at the sight before him.  
A human, clad in a doctor's attire, wide-eyed and fearful... and holding a now-empty syringe stuck into Frisk's neck. And Frisk herself... mutilated, bloody... tortured.

“Uhh... uhh, he-he made me do it!” The Intern screamed and pointed at the toad-monster.  
“You rat bastard!” It croaked back in anger, before turning back to Asriel with pleading, bulging eyes.  
“He-hey. Hey buddy, listen, uhh, yo- you know those, uhh, monsters we nicked a while ago? Uhh, I still got the buyers address. So, uhh, I-if you let me go, I could-”  
A fireball smashed into the toad monster, searing him in painful burns and sending him smashing into the wall. He was too dazed to even shout, and as he came to, he found a magical fire shackle chaining his one arm to the wall, the fire hot enough that he gasped in pain but not so much that it was completely unbearable.

On the other end of the surgical table, The Intern raised his hands in surrender and backed away from Frisk.  
“Hey- hey now, there's no reason to hurt me! I'll come quietly, you'll see. We can-”  
Do you... have any idea... what you have done?” Asriel said, the fire all around and his rumbling voice giving The Intern the impression of a recently awakened volcano god.

A god out to get him.

He backed away with a whimper, bumping into the stained workbench laden with his tools. He quickly picked up a bloody scalpel and aimed it at Asriel.  
Asriel, in turn, slowly rounded the surgical table on which Frisk laid bound to get to him. He passed a rack of surgical coats, clothes that burst into flames as he got near.  
The room temperature was rapidly rising yet what The Intern felt the most was the wet warmness spreading between his legs.

Strange rivulets of blue fire began trailing from Asriel's eyes, like tears. The Intern barely noticed this, too scared by what he was all too certain was his imminent death. He lunged forward with a roar of a frightened, cornered animal and slashed down with the scalpel. His roar died in his throat when he suddenly felt his arm being arrested in mid-air. He looked up, finding that the monster had grabbed him by the wrist.  
“Pl- please! Don't hurt me! Don't – Urgh!” A searing fist smashed into his jaw, sending his sprawling down on his back. He moved a hand to nurse where he had been hit, finding his skin there to be raw and blistered from the fire.  
“You ask for mercy... when you might as well have just killed it?” Asriel rumbled darkly.  
“I'M SORRY!”  
“No, you're not... but I am and I'll make you”

The Intern tried to crawl away again, but a searingly hot paw grabbed him by the collar of his suit and pushed him down. Immediately after, another flaming fist smashed into his face.  
He whimpered in pain and threw his arms up to defend himself but to no avail, more hits struck home, charring and blistering his face.

With each punch, The Intern's defenses grew more and more limp and Asriel could feel the human die beneath him. He screamed with each punch, in truth not really knowing, or caring, for that matter, if the human had already perished. Nothing mattered anymore. He screamed, both with boundless fury and with abandonment of all that he was.

Frisk, his sister, his savior, was gone.

It was a realization that filled him with an unimaginable depth of sorrow and anger, at the people that had taken the world's most noble soul away but also at himself for failing her, and he took it all out on the human.  
He wouldn't be the last, though.

How could anyone that would ever wish someone like Frisk harm ever be allowed to live? Simple; they couldn't. The Intern, the guards, the suits, they all had to die. They all had to perish in his flames!

Some inner part of Asriel screamed and railed at his thoughts, but they were drowned out by the relentless tides of grief, guilt, and anger he felt. They couldn't stop him and, with his sister dead, he doubted anyone could. His tears of fire fell freely, burning holes into the clothes of The Intern beneath him.

“St.. stop...”

He froze, a bloodied, flaming paw raised to strike another blow and the barely breathing Intern wheezing for breath below him. Did he hear... something?

“Don't... kill him...”

In the blink of an eye Asriel was at her side, on the verge of shouting in pure joy.  
“Frisk! Oh god, I thought I lost you!”  
With one hand he began undoing the straps that held her tied and with the other started weaving healing magic into her. A mist of green, that ever so slowly saw her many wounds closing.  
“I thought... I thought that was it! Golly... HAHAHA! tighter

He scooped her up in a tight hug, for a moment just able to ignore her slight grunts of pain.  
“I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner! I thought... I almost-”  
“Did you kill him?” Frisk suddenly interrupted, voice calm and unusually low.  
Asriel slightly relaxed his hug.  
“... no... but, if not for you...I... I think I might've”  
“Good...”  
“I'm sorry Frisk. I promised you... but-”  
“Because I want the kill for myself”

Asriel froze. There was that slight tint of arrogance, of superiority he had heard 4 years ago.  
He grabbed her a bit tighther.  
“Please, Frisk, not now. Just listen to my voice. Snap out of it. We can-”  
*Sklch*  
He gasped, backing away and moving a hand to his side where Frisk had suddenly jammed a scalpel into him. Luckily she still had Frisk's LV, but it still hurt deeply.

“Fr-Frisk?” He gasped and collapsed.  
Frisk herself jumped down from the table. She staggered a bit, still woozy from the anesthetics but apparently able to mostly ignore the lethal dosage trough Determination alone.

“Frisk?... huh, never really liked that name. Feels like... I had another, too” She said in a dark voice. She stumbled over to the workbench and scraped up a rusty hacksaw.  
“Thanks for the healing... brother” She said while flashing him a cold smile.  
“You just stay right there. We'll get out of here soon enough, but first, I gotta show this cretin how we punish attempt at regicide”

With that, the usurped Frisk turned towards the barely conscious Intern. Sporting a bloodthirsty grin Frisk raised the hacksaw high, ready to finally end a life.


	13. The Final Stretch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!
> 
> So, I know there's usually nearly a month between each chapter, courtesy of me being a lazy schmuck, but! This time I do have a slight excuse in that my writing PC burned out... so there!

Pain and fear. Two of the most dangerous emotions in existence. Emotions that more than once had driven good people to do terrible things. His dad, just to name an example.

Emotions Asriel were feeling right now. Down on the floor, channeling healing magic trough his paw into the wound at his side, with full sight of Frisk, now usurped by the soul of Valantis, about to end the one who had harmed her.

“Don't do it!” Asriel pleaded “Please”  
The Usurped Frisk stopped in her tracks, her head slowly turning to look at him over her shoulder.  
“Well, color me surprised. Not one minute ago you were about to beat this cretin into flaming, bloody pulp” She mused with a dark smirk.  
“But, you... you're better than this” He answered with a groan, trying to get to his feet. The wound in his side throbbed painfully, slowing his attempt to heal it. He still needed time.

“Better than this?” Frisk scoffed with a chuckle “This has nothing to do with “being better” this is simply me exacting my due. This scum dared lay a hand on royalty, that's enough reason for that hand to come off” she turned back to regard the quivering Intern on the floor.  
“With interests, of course... and because I feel like it”

“I wasn't talking to you” Asriel said, finally getting up on one leg “I was talking to Frisk”   
Frisk turned back to him with a look of puzzlement on their face “What're you on about? I am Frisk...” She replied yet with a hint of doubt. She looked aside, moving her lips as if tasting the word “Frisk”.

“No you're not” Asriel huffed, leaning against the wall “You're nothing like the person you're usurping. You're so far beneath her it's almost laughable”  
“... wha- what are you-”  
“Frisk, I know you can hear me, I know you are in there”  
“What is this!? St-stop! I demand that you stop!”  
“Don't let him do this to you, Frisk. You're so much stronger than he is. Don't be afraid”  
“GRAAH! I SAID STOP!” The Usurped Frisk howled, clutching her head and growling in frustration.  
“You can beat him! You are Frisk Dreemurr The Determined! There's nothing you can't do! If you just-”  
“I SAID STOP!” Frisk suddenly bowled into Asriel. Clumsily, but hard enough that Asriel, in his weakened state, could do nothing to stop her.  
They fell down. Frisk was shaking fiercely as if her body was rebelling against itself. She stabbed down with the scalpel and Asriel only barely managed to catch her hand, the dust-covered scalpel only a few centimeters from his face.

“How... dare you to presume to tell me what to do!” Frisk hissed “I am royalty! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want to whoever I want!”  
Asriel gasped in pain as the exertion of holding Frisk back made his wound flare painfully. Physically, he should be a lot stronger than Frisk despite being a monster, but his wound, as well as Frisk having the power of two human souls, meant that the scalpel inched ever closer.  
“That's- that's not what it means to be a ruler!” He managed back at Frisk.  
“Being royalty doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want! On the contrary, it means you are beholden to everyone!” He continued.  
“GAAH! SHUT UP!” Frisk shouted back and pushed hard on the scalpel. The struggle was evident in her eyes, he only needed a bit more time.  
“That's what people like you will never understand... Valantis” Asriel said. Frisk froze at the name, looking as if an age-old mystery had suddenly been solved before them.  
“A people without a ruler is still a people, but a ruler without a people is nothing. It is our responsibility to ensure the trust they place in us is NEVER squandered”

Frisk's eyes quivered, shifting from being open to the more slanted look Frisk normally had. Her left hand suddenly grabbed her right by the wrist, apparently trying to pull the knife away. She was almost back in control, she just needed one last push.

“Right, Frisk?” He whispered. He gently placed a paw on her head and lifted his own to plant a kiss on her lips. For just a moment she showed no reaction, no return and for a frightening instant, Asriel feared that she might plunge the scalpel into him now that he had exposed himself.  
But instead there was a metallic clatter as it dropped to the floor and Frisk suddenly leaned into him as well, reciprocating the gesture.

For just one blissful moment, all the work, effort and pain he had gone trough getting to the bowels of the mystery seemed ultimately worth it. Despite their surroundings, this was one moment the prince had always dreamed of. Frisk was back and maybe, just maybe she felt the same for him as he did for her.  
The moment didn't last long, however. With a strained groan Frisk suddenly slid off him to the floor, unconscious. The effort of switching souls put great strain on the body but he knew she would be alright. He laid there for a moment, giddy, despite all that had happened prior to them melting together like that. A slight tingle in his side told him that his wound had mostly healed and he rose to gently lift and place Frisk on the surgical gurney, not the most comfortable spot but definitely better than on the cement floor.

“S-so, eh, looks like everything worked out in the end, huh?” came the deep, croaking voice of the toad-receptionist, still chained to the wall by the fire manacle.  
Asriel led out a drawn-out sight, in fact a bit embarrassed the toad might have witnessed his and Frisk's moment.  
“G-guess you won't have to beat me u-up then, right? Eh, probably for the best, I'm so squishy you'd just get me all over your clothes! Hehe, eh... heh”  
“Oh you don't have to worry about me” Asriel replied and waved his paw, making the fire manacles dim, no longer hurting the toad but still restraining him to the wall “The Royal Guard will take care of you... but before that, there's still one thing you need to tell me”  
“Wh-what's that?”  
“33 of my people... where are they?” He hissed threateningly.

The toad opened his mouth to croak his answer but just before he could a low-pitched, rhythmic, droning noise filled the room. It took Asriel a few seconds to realized it was a ring-tone, furthermore, a tune Mettaton often played during his shows. It came from the toad's cell.  
The toad in question looked from his cell to Asriel with a confused look. He answered with a nod.  
The toad cautiously placed it by his ear, pressing the “answer” button.  
“Whats the magic words?”  
“...”  
“Right”  
“...”  
“Ah, so sorry, sir, we're in a bit of a, eh, renovating phase, could I convince you to contact our department in-”  
“...”  
“Uh... As a matter of fact he is, but how did you know?”  
“...”  
“Y-yes, of course...”  
The toad sheepishly reached the phone out to Asriel with a look of deep puzzlement.  
“It's for you” He simply stated.  
“Me?” Asriel asked with a shake of his head. He cautiously reached out for the cell, almost as if he expected it to blow up at his touch. The display read “Unknown Number”

“H-hello?” Asriel dared.  
“Ah! Prince Asriel must be, you sound just like on TV!”  
“Uhh...?”  
“So, I take it you've dismantled that hideous slavery organization? Shouldn't be a problem for someone with your abilities”  
Asriel blinked in mild confusion. The voice on the phone was cheerful, but one he had never heard before.  
“I-I'm sorry but who is this? How did you know?”  
“Well, they don't call me “The Prophet” for nothing”  
The Prophet. The name on the note that had lead him and Frisk to this place, to begin with.  
“... or, at least, I like to call myself that...” the voice quietly added.  
“Do you have them?” Asriel suddenly demanded with authority.  
There was a short pause, then a quiet whistling sound, as if The Prophet was sighing deeply.  
“Well... yeah, but they might not be... totally as you remember them”  
“If you've so much as touched them you're going to regret it!”  
“A bit too late for that... even if hurting them was my real goal I don't think I could do much worse that what those slavers already did to them... Although, I might have... Y'know, I ordered 33 monsters from that toad-creep you've probably just punked and, all things considered, he did deliver... though not before he had them all skinned to make clothes out of it... bastards”

Asriel glanced over at the toad with fury in his eyes, who grimaced in fear and mouthed “I'm sorry!”  
“It's why I lead you to them, your highness” The Prophet continued on the phone. Asriel noticed that, for the first time in a long time, someone called him “highness” without a hint of sarcasm or mockery.  
“Despite what it seems like, I'm not the bad guy in this story, Asriel. I mean, yeah, I did kinda... have 33 monsters kidnapped, I admit, but it's for a good cause”  
“Nothing can justify what you have done!” Asriel snapped back. “You've had 33 monsters kidnapped, broken up their families and put them trough hell!”  
“... I truly didn't know they were gonna skin them but other than that... guilty as charged. Nevertheless, I still cling to what I said; it's for a good cause”  
“Where are you?” Asriel demanded.  
Another short pause and a slow, deep intake of breath on the other side.  
“... Underneath Mount Talbot. We're all waiting for you” The Prophet replied. Asriel shivered slightly at the ominous tone behind the last sentence.  
“... We?” Asriel ventured.   
“Well, your people, me, and someone you might've heard of. I understand he's a bit of a legend among monsters”  
Asriel held his breath in anticipation. In truth, he could only think of one person it could be and he deeply, earnestly hoped The Prophet wouldn't prove him right.  
“So, better get moving. Wouldn't want to keep a living legend like good ol' Caderas waiting, would you?”  
“Wait, what?”  
*click* *beep* 

* * *

 

 

Asriel raced up the stairs that Frisk had led him down in chains in what seemed like days ago, holding the still-unconscious aforementioned in his arms.  
Finally, the end was in sight; he had a target now. Unless the so-called “Prophet” had been lying his kidnapped people would soon be free. The Prophet had sounded... regretful yet adamant in his explanation of his actions but far more worrying was his mention of Caderas, the Royal Guard General of Old. How did he play into all of this?

He reached the surface and made for the shuttle that had carried them there, hidden away amongst a field of wheat. He pushed the Recall button as he entered and as it started its ascension towards The Airship, a nearby speaker began to splutter.

“Prince Asriel! Frisk!” Came the flustered voice of Alphys “Whew, I thought something bad had happened down there"  
“It did” Asriel replied darkly.  
“Oh no... Frisk, where is she? Is she alright?”  
“She is, but she took an injection of something dangerous and... Alphys, she had a soul-shift, a bad one”  
"My god... I'll get the medical bay prepped!”  
“Thanks, Alphys... oh, and give my dad a call. Tell him... tell him that Caderas is beneath Mount Talbot”  
“Alright, sure, I'll – Wait, WHAT!?”

Asriel reached a hand out to press the mute button for the speaker. Alphys's fears were well-founded but there would be time for explaining later. A shadow drew over the shuttle as they came under the airship, near the shuttle bay. A shadow that crawled up to cover half of Frisk's face, lying, as she did, on the shuttle couch.  
Asriel's paw curled into a fist in quiet frustration at the curse that laid upon her. Frisk deserved nothing but the best yet as long as the soul of Valantis remained within her, she would always be in danger of losing herself... and if that happened, he might as well lose himself.

The shuttle shook as it settled and as soon as the door opened a trio of monsters rushed in with a gurney they placed Frisk upon, follow by a pair of migosps that fearfully draped a blanket across her.  
The shuttle bay was bathed in a red light, both from several alarms but also from the setting sun outside. Asriel sighed deeply as he saw Frisk being rolled away to Alphy's care. She would probably be ok, but every time she suffered a soul-shift it scarred her deeply.

First the kidnappings, then Sloanes threat to take Mt. Ebott from them, the revelation that his people had been sold into slavery and then skinned and now this, Frisk being rolled away to intensive care.

All of the events rolled in his mind, coalescing into a core of anger in his heart, here, now that they were finally so close.

“This... ends... now...” he whispered, before turning and heading for his private quarters. The Prophet had urged him to hurry and come find them and he would happily oblige... but first a little preparation was in order.

* * *

 

 

Alphys had been scared near to death when she heard what had happened to Frisk. Fear that, luckily, were proven moot even now as she listened to the rhythmic beep of the heart-rate monitor connected to Frisk. Slow, but steady and outside of danger. Beside it, a plastic bag was slowly filling up with a yellow liquid, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Alphys had injected an experimental magical serum into Frisk, that would seek out foreign chemicals in her bloodstream and then teleport them out into the bag. She had found it was a heavy-duty sedative and the amount in the bag was already enough to kill an adult human 30 times over yet all it had managed to do to Frisk was weaken her, albeit quite severely.

'Determination was a heck of a thing' Alphys thought to herself with a sigh... but was it enough?  
Her eyes wandered over the sick bay currently holding the most determined monster and human in existence, both in nearly comatose states. This whole expedition was quickly running out of hand.

A weak groan escaped Frisk and she turned a bit in her bed.

“Fr-Frisk?” Alphys ventured. The human's eyes opened a fraction and she moved a hand towards the lizard monsters.  
“Wh-whe...” she rasped with a voice dry as a desert.  
Alphys quickly went to fetch a decanter and glass of water, propping Frisk up on her arm and gently pouring it to her.  
“You're back on the ship – Asriel brought you here” She placed the now-empty glass on a nearby table, running her scaled hand over Frisk forehead and wrist to check for a fever and pulse, finding both to be satisfactory.  
“Don't worry Frisk, I'll take care of you, you'll e up about in no time you'll see!” Alphys said cheerfully.  
“Whe-where...” Frisk continued.  
“Where?” Alphys guessed at her word “Where's.. what? Or who?”  
“Where... he...?” Frisk tried again, a hint of stubbornness and force coming over her voice.  
“Asriel?” Alphys asked, to which Frisk replied with a weak nod.  
“Well, he... just left as a matter of fact. Something about “ending this once and for all”” Alphys explained. “Think he said something about going to Mount Talbot... and something about Caderas, of all things” Alphys scoffed with a nervous laugh at the last part. Frisk sole reply was an empty stare that lasted for a few seconds before the scientist caught on, clearing her throat.

“Ah, r-right. I suppose you've never he-hear about Caderas?” She started “W-well, he... is something of a legend or, er, myth, even, to mo- most monsters. He was this awesome bada- er, ah, c-cool guy that totally beat up anyone that talked shade about monsters!” Alphys explained, getting more and more excited as she went on. She shot a nervous look over at a nearby PC, opened on a page showing a flaming warrior concealed in shadow wielding an arcing, electric axe in one hand and a frost-covered sword in the other.  
“Heh, uh, a-actually, there's a, uh, kickstarter going on on the Undernet about making an anime about him. It, uh, looks... y-y'know, kinda cool. Perhaps I could, uh, show it to you later? I think you m-might-”  
Her rant was silenced as Frisk suddenly sat up, woozy, but still lucid enough to avoid falling back over.

“Woah, easy there, Frisk” Alphys warned “You're... well, you shouldn't even be alive after what they injected you with... ah! N-not that I don't want you to be, y'know, a-alive! I really do! I j-just meant that, scientifically, speaking, it's, uh, kinda incredible that you-”

A choked whisper escaped Frisk and Alphys stopped her rant, tilting her head slightly to the side “Did you... did you say something?”  
“Asr- *cough* Asriel...” she rasped.  
Alphys felt a shiver run down her back. Despite her strangled voice, she couldn’t help but notice a hint of worry in Frisk's tone”  
“What about him?” Alphys dared.  
“His... his L-LV...”  
“His LV? His Level of Violence?”  
Frisk nodded “It's... risen”  
The shiver on Alphy's back turned into a cold knot of fear in her stomach. Just what exactly had happened down there? Had The Prince, god forbid it, actually killed someone? It didn't seem possible, not someone like him... and yet... ever since his near assassination and after he had been catatonic he had seemed... a bit colder and distant than usual.

Her stupor was broken as Frisk motioned again, dragging her legs out of the bed.  
“I'm going after him” she stated with determination.

* * *

 

 

Asriel crouched, leaning against his quarterstaff and peering down at the black abyss of the hole atop the mountain he had just discovered. The mountain winds blew strongly over him, making his off-shoulder cape and combat robes, which he quickly had changed into aboard The Airship before coming down to Mount Talbot, flutter in the wind.  
It was like a sickening sense of deja-vu. Every human that had found The Underground before The Barrier was shattered had entered trough a hole exactly like this one.

He reached a paw out and conjured a flaming orb which he then dropped down the hole, illuminating the darkness. It fell for a good while before it hit the bottom and he almost expected to see a bed of flowers down there, but instead, it hit smooth stone.

Too smooth to be naturally formed. Perhaps The Prophet and Caderas really were hiding down there.  
He stood back up straight, a sense of fearful vertigo coming over him as he looked down the hole. He would have to be smart about this, it was way too deep to jump without getting seriously hurt, just like what had happened to...  
…  
He shook his clear of the memory before it fully materialized in his head. He had to focus.

He took a few deep breaths, building up courage. There was a trick he could use, something that could arrest his fall, but something he had never tried before and the thought of ending up with two broken legs, either in a place where no one would ever find him or at the mercy of The Prophet chilled him.

Nevertheless, he had to try. This was it; the final stretch, the point of no return.

He jumped.  
Immediately, there was darkness all around him. The only thing visible being the ground that rapidly raced towards him. He reached his arms out towards the ground. He would have to time this perfectly; too soon and he could still fall too great a height, too late and he would smash into the ground.

Just a few meters before hitting the ground, he focused all of his magic into a blast of hot air. The nearly-scaling wind buffeted back from the ground and back to him, slowing his descent.  
Nevertheless, he landed hard with a heavy *thump* His vision blurred in pain as the air was forced out of his lungs.  
For a few seconds, he laid still, fearful that any movement would result in screaming pain from broken limbs. He tried to move this legs; bruised and scrapped, likewise with his arms and torso. He made a mental note to thank his mom for her work on his robes when next he saw her; no doubt they had cushioned his fall.

He stood up with a groan, dusting his robes off and taking a look around. Pitch black save for what little was illuminated by his fire orb. He reached out with his quarterstaff, forcing his magic into it to act as a flashlight.

“Ahh... that smell” A terrible, rumbling voice sounded in the darkness. Deep and gravely like a rock-slide. Asriel immediately pulled his staff close in a fighting stance.

“The smell of... purpose, idealism... mayhap even a telltale dash of spice?”  
Asriel turned, trying to locate the source but the echoing acoustic of the cavern made it nearly impossible.  
“... but also... of cowardice... and treason” the voice said with disgust.

“Wh-who's there!?” Asriel called out, voice shaky with barely suppressed fear.  
“Pah! The lamb hath no need of the name of the butcher whose cleaver will cut its string”

A low thumping started to sound. It took Asriel a few moments to realized it was footsteps. The footsteps of something... someone heavy.  
He turned to look. Someone stirred in the darkness, coming closer and closer.

“Yet, I suppose I could grant thee an answer. Consider it thy final wish before the end, Prince of Ebott”  
The figure stepped into view and Asriel heart leaped into his throat at the imposing sight. It was a monster, taller and broader than even his dad, even wearing a suit of armor that looked a lot like the kings but this one one with a large Delta Rune on the front. His head, the only visible part of his body save for his paws, had a canine look to it; a grizzled muzzle covered in scars and old-gray fur, beneath a set cold, red eyes. A mane of ink-black fur surrounded his head.

“The name of thine executioner is Caderas, first general of the Royal Guard of Ebott, called “The Betrayed” by his cadre” it stated in a clear, militaristic tone.

Asriel's breath froze in his throat and his eyes widened.

So... it was true after all...

“What- what are you doing here?” Asriel asked, immediately feeling dumb asking a living legend such a mundane question.  
“Let us not mix words, Prince of Ebott” Caderas answered. “Our purpose here is simple; thee art to die and I will lead the blade that will smite thee” he stated in a simple tone.  
He reached one of his large paws out and a red two-handed axe, double-edged at both ends of the shaft, materialized in his paw.

'Exactly like his dad did with his trident' Asriel noticed.

“In truth, I would hath preferred it be thine father that I would vanquish, but mayhap thine demise will accomplish more than his own death ever could”

Asriel blinked in confusion. “Wh- why? Why do you want to kill us?”  
The general shook his head “Thee has no need of knowing. Soon enough, thee will be dead” he stated as he took the axe into his paws and stood into a combat stance.  
In the middle of the room, Asriel gulped but nonetheless did the same.

“Ah, yes, The Prophet did speak about this. Thee art no stranger to combat, correct?” The general said with amusement.  
“Uh, I-I guess not”  
“Hah... A Dreemurr, actually willing to fight and stand up for hisself” he said with a rumbling chuckle, terminating in a short sight “Alas, too little, too late. If it brings thee any comfort, know that thine death will only benefit monsterkind and that thine kith and kin will follow your shortly after into the afterlife. Fret not, I shall be swift in delivering thee to thine doom”  
A short pause.  
Then, he moved. Purposefully and unstoppable, Caderas advanced on Asriel, Axe held at the ready.

Asriel backed away instinctively This was absolutely insane; a living legend, as if stepping out of a history book was right in front of him seeking his death. Worse, if the stories about his combat prowess were even remotely true, Asriel knew he didn't stand a chance. Despite the darkness of the cavern, Asriel still felt like an enormous shadow had settled over him.

But... he didn't come this far just to give up now.

Caderas suddenly surged forward, holding the giant axe one-handed and swinging it in a wide arc towards Asriel. The Prince wondered about the action for just a second; it was a slow, open, almost unprofessional attack, easily dodged. Could it be a trap?

Asriel had no time to ponder further as the axe soared towards him. He ducked low and the axe slashed over him, crashing into the rock wall beside him hard enough that it lodged itself stuck.  
Asriel looked up. The general was wide open to a counter-attack yet his mind was still reeling as the impossibility of the situation, only made worse by the unexpectedly sloppy attack made by a supposed master-at-arms. Could it be-

Asriel froze. There was an amused smirk on the General's muzzle. With a grunt of effort, Caderas suddenly ripped the axe out of the wall, causing a small rockslide. Asriel bleated in surprise as a large stone landed a mere inch away from him. Without thinking, he jumped into a roll in an effort to get away before the sudden collapsing wall crushed him.  
He recovered and stood up, just in time to see a lightning quick flash of movement in front of him, then, something sharp pressed against his throat; Caderas was right in front of him pressing the sharpened edge his axe into his skin.  
“Tsk, tsk, too slow” he mused, before lifting the blade and pushing Asriel away.  
“Thee has two eyes, Prince of Ebott, one for the enemy, one for the battlefield" he lectured.

Asriel hefted his weapon and resumed his stance. Was he simply toying with him?  
“Why did thee not strike out at me? I was open, exposed” Caderas asked.  
“Wha- did you want me to?”   
A deep sigh “Child... thou might have the body and training of a warrior but thee lack the most important aspect... the mind of a warrior. Whomsoever trained thee has failed utterly in their duty”  
“Don't you dare talk about Undyne like that!” Asriel snarled back.  
“Pah! Or what? Thou art naught but a cowardly cretin, bleating its worthless threats!”  
“My bite is worse than my bleat!”  
“ **Then bare thine teeth at me, Prince Asriel of** Ebott **! Show me what fury thou can muster!** ”

Caderas hefted his axe at his side and charged forward, Asriel did the same.

The general was substantially larger and stronger than him, no way of getting close without him getting at least one strike off, but if he thought the Prince of Monster was going down without a fight he was sorely mistaken.

Caderas swung again, two-handed this time, faster and stronger. Asriel rolled to the side under it, preparing a volatile fireball in his paws as he did. He sprang to his feet and tossed it at The General who caught it with the tip of his axe, causing it to explode in a cloud of acrid smoke that completely covered him.

Asriel circled around him, hoping to land a quick strike from behind the now-blinded general and end the fight. He readied his staff and prepared to jump in.  
The general's axe suddenly cut trough the smoke out of nowhere. Asriel only barely managed to block it out of sheer muscle memory. He slid back across the ground but found no time to recover.

Caderas leaped out of the smoke. Holding his now flaming axe by the middle of the shaft and twirling it in his paw, causing it to spin like a fiery blender as he slashed it towards Asriel.

It moved too fast for him to block, he rolled to the side, trying to get out of reach, yet just as he committed to the move Caderas seized his attack and shot his paw out to where he expected Asriel's neck to be when he stood up from his roll, as if he had completely expected him to do just that.

His paw closed around Asriel's neck in an iron grip that forced the breath out of the prince. He lifted him up and threw him down in a chokeslam that cracked the stone floor beneath him and made Asriel's vision swim with stars.  
He harshly pushed him down and dragged him across the floor, and Asriel could only barely gasp in pain as jagged rocks tore into his back. With a final grunt of effort, Caderas threw the prince across the room like a rag-doll. He smashed into the far wall and rolled down to the floor, coughing and wheezing, bleeding from numerable wounds and dizzy from being smashed into the floor and thrown. He was practically defeated.

And he hadn't even struck out at him once... there was no way he could beat him Asriel grimly realized.

“Thee hath more spirit than thine father” Caderas rumbled as he closed in “But it will do naught to save you, it will do naught to save any of you accursed Dreemurrs. I hath sworn to end thine cowardly dustline; consider thyself lucky thou art the first to fall”

Asriel barely managed to get up on a knee, fixing the general with a cold stare.  
“I surrender” he uttered.  
The General stopped up with a perplexed look on his face.  
“What?  
“I surrender” Asriel repeated strongly. “I will not fight you”  
“If thou expect me to SPARE thee, thou art gravely mistaken”  
“So that's it? You are just going to kill someone who doesn't fight back? You, the Great Caderas?”  
Caderas returned Asriel's stare with one of intrigue, perhaps curious about what he was trying to do.

“All the stories I have read said that you were a hero; a champion of monsterkind that protected the weak with honor and courage” Asriel continued, standing up straight but holding his gaze on The General.  
“They said you always showed grace and mercy in victory, that you never took a life save if absolutely necessary, that you were devoted solely to the safety and prosperity of all monsters”  
A short pause. The General stood unmoving but attentive.  
“What happened to you, Caderas? Why would you do any of this? The kidnappings, helping The Prophet, killing me and my family. What... What drove you to do all of this?”

“Thou knowest nothing about me, boy” Came the almost immediate reply “Know this; I have and will always be devoted to ensure our future... but to accomplish this task sacrifices must be made”

He readied his axe yet again “I hold no ill will against thee, Prince Dreemurr, but thou art too big a risk to be left alive. Thine family dust carries a weakness that would see all that I have fought and striven to protect be reduced to a mere footnote to history... yet again. If I have to sully my paws with the dust of innocents to prevent that... then that is a burden I will gladly shoulder, so no one else has to”

A deep sigh escaped the large monster and Asriel spied just the faintest glimmer of remorse on his scarred face.

“Farewell, Prince Dreemurr” He surged forward, almost too fast for Asriel to react to, and launched into another slash. Asriel moved his staff up to deflect. It was a fast strike but one he could just barely take, but what then? He couldn't talk him down and fighting him could only end one way.

The axe closed in, yet just before it would have impacted on his staff, the magical red axe shimmered. With a lurch of fear Asriel realized what he was doing and tried to sidestep but it was far too late.  
The shimmering axe changed form, from battle axe into a wicked spear, from slash into a stab. It sailed past Asriel's guard.

And straight into his stomach, exiting out his back with a small spray of dust. The gruesome sound of fabric and skin being pierced filled the cavernous darkness.

Asriel gasped, a pain unlike any he had ever felt filling his entire being. The spear had torn his body but being of magic, it hurt his soul just as much.  
He looked down, almost chortling at the insane sight of the weapon disappearing into his stomach.

But then; a grunt of effort as Caderas pulled the spear upright, lifting Asriel into the air. Somehow, he managed to bite trough the pain as he was lifted up. He weakly grabbed at the shaft, trying to prevent himself from sliding down, but there was little he could do. His vision darkened, he was dimly aware of the dust now trailing from him all over his body, glittering like small stars before dying out, just like he was.

No, he couldn't die. Too many had given too much for him to just die here in the dark, alone, so close to fulfilling the promise he had to his people that he would get the missing monsters home.

But he had failed, for the last and final time.

Tiredness, pain, and shame was all he could feel. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, darkness were all that was. He heard a faint wind in the distance, something he felt like he had heard before, a long time ago when he had first-

“LET. HIM. GO!” A fiercely strong voice echoed in the cavern. A voice he knew, a voice that filled him with just enough hope to open his eyes and look up.

“D- dad...?”


	14. The Prophet and The General

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya. Been a while, hasn't it? You've probably heard a ton recently but it's the good ol' exams thats been taking my time. BUT! To make up for it, here's just about the longest chapter yet and the grand finale, enjoy!

“CADERAS! I WON'T TELL YOU AGAIN! LET. HIM. GO!” Asgore shouted. His paws clutched his trident so tightly his fingers were shaking, and from what Asriel could discern trough the haze of pain and tiredness that suffused him, his face was a mix of utter terror and rage.

“Well, this is certainly a surprise” Caderas rumbled with chilling glee. “Little Horns, the “great” king of Ebott, come tumbling down into mine lair. Mine patience has been rewarded a hundredfold”  
“Caderas!...” Asgore threatened.  
The General turned to look at Asriel, still weakly struggling to keep himself awake and to keep himself from sliding further down the spear.  
“Ah, right, I suppose this belongs to thee”  
He released his hold on the magical spear and took a few steps back. It flashed brightly before disappearing and with a pained whimper, Asriel fell to the floor, landing amidst a small pile of his own dust.  
Asgore was with him in a flash, falling to his knees and scooping him up into his arms. His eyes fell on the hole in his stomach and for a dreadful moment, Asgore was back. Back to the first time this had happened.  
…  
No, he wasn't back, he was reliving it. The worst moment in his life.

“Asriel! I'm here! J-just stay with me! It's going to be ok!” He concentrated every fiber of his magic into a healing spell, channeling it into the gaping wound in Asriel's stomach yet already he could tell it was far too severe.  
“D...dad, I'm sorry, I-I should have-” Asriel whispered with a deathly chill.  
“No, you would never have to apologize, I'm the one to blame here. I should... I should never have let go alone... so irresponsible of me...”  
Asriel didn't answer. Ever so slowly his eyes started to close and he rested his head in his father's embrace. His breathing, already shallow and strained, got quieter and quieter and dust fell from all around him.  
“No! Please...” Asgore whimpered, tears falling to land on Asriel's fur “Don't leave me... don't leave me again, please... I cant-”

Trough the haze of absolute despair that filled Asgore, he barely managed to notice a change in the healing stream he was channeling. It grew stronger, vastly so, in the blink of an eye. Far more powerful than even he could ever hope to achieve.  
Almost as if...

“Caderas...?” Asgore mumbled in shock as he looked up, finding the once-vaunted general adding his own magical power into the healing.  
“Wha- what are you-”  
“I may seek thine death and, make no mistake, one day I will come for thou all”  
He sighed.  
“Yet, I am not so cruel as to just stand by and watch as a son dies in his father's arms... perhaps...perhaps your son's words ring truer than I would have liked”  
Asgore could only stare dumbfounded. Like Asriel, he too was in a state of minor shock at meeting such a legend and an old friend at that. He redoubled his efforts into healing his son.  
Slowly, the wound began to seal and as the hope in his chest grew, so did the wound the wound diminish until it was nothing but a small patch of thin, downy fur.

Asriel's eyes sprang open and he launched into a heavy coughing fit as he desperately tried to get air into his lungs and as his magic re-awakened.  
He fell out of Asgore's embrace, landing on all fours. Asgore loomed close, anxious to hold his son tight and make sure he was ok, but understanding that he just needed a moment to collect himself.

As Asriel's coughing began to die down Caderas stepped close, his shadow somehow covering both Dreemurrs despite the darkness of the room.  
“The healing should last until thou can receive proper treatment” he rumbled and turned to point at a doorway in the wall.  
“Thee will find an exit to the surface trough there, make what preparations thee must and know, that once I am finished with thine father, thou will be the next on mine list”  
“...no...” Asriel barely managed in-between his coughs and wheezes.  
“What!?” Asgore and Caderas asked in unison.  
“I came here... to save our people... and I'm not going anywhere... until I have done that”  
“Asriel, please” Asgore began, kneeling down and placing a paw on his shoulder.  
“You have already done more than anyone could ever ask of you. Please, just... return to the airship and inform the Royal Guard of what has happened. I will... I will handle Caderas”  
“No, dad. I can't keep... running away”  
“You're not running away! You're just...”

“Hah! Thine son shows more backbone than any Dreemurr I have ever served. Had he just been there, in place of his forefathers, mayhap monsterkinds history would look vastly different” Caderas suddenly cut in, speaking with a lighter tone.  
“Little Horns, thee should know better than to stand in the way of someone else's goals. Least of all thine own offspring”  
“Y-yes, sir- I m-mean, ah!” Asgore stuttered, eliciting a hearty laugh from The General.  
He turned his attention down on Asriel, who had just barely managed to get up standing.

“Prince Dreemurr, if thee truly wish to quest for thine missing people, thee will find them at the end of that corridor” He turned to gesture at the same doorway from before.  
“Look for a large silo door. Mine guards will not interfere, they have been strictly informed that only I have the right to ending a Dreemurr... as for The Prophet...”  
He turned back. For just the briefest of moments, Asriel noticed a hint of fear on the ancient monster's face.  
“He will... he will stop at nothing to keep thee away from thine people, or what has become of them at least”  
“The Prophet... who is he?” Asriel asked, looking up to the larger monster.  
He looked away as if lost in, by the looks of it, a worrying past.  
“He came to us some time ago, much in the same way thee and thine father did, seeking... something dark, I presume. At first, mine first desire was to slay him where he stood, to at least begin to sate my vengeance, and where it not for his... gift, I would'st have”  
“Gift? What gift?” Asriel ventured.  
Caderas shuddered in response, apparently remembering it.  
“He called it his “curse”. Even I doth not know what it is, only that he visited upon me and mine guards the most terrible pain and ailment of the mind and soul any of us had yet suffered"

He turned to fix Asriel with his gaze, speaking with rumbling authority.  
“If thee truly wish to face this prophet, know that not even thine own mind will offer sanctuary from his assault and that, should thee falter, thee will suffer a death far more terrible than even I could ever grant”  
Asriel gulped, turning to look at the darkness of the hallway in which this Prophet was apparently waiting.  
“Then... h-how do it beat him?” He asked.  
A sigh escaped the general, like a smithy bellow being pressed.  
“Doubt gnaws at him. He is convinced that what he is doing will save the world from... something he has scryed in the future, yet not a day goes by where he doth not express remorse of some kind”  
“Doubt...right...” Asriel said quietly to himself.  
“Asriel, please” Asgore began from behind him “You just... you just barely survived this, now you want to run off to this “Prophet”?”  
“...”  
“My son, please! I urge you to reconsider. We need you, I- I need you. If you were to die...”  
“Think with your head, act with your heart...”  
“Wh-what?”  
“That old saying. Remember when you told me?”  
Asgore's features softened and a look of quiet acceptance and understanding came over him.  
“Yes... Golly, it feels like a lifetime ago”  
“I know. Don't worry dad, I'll... I'll see if I can't talk to this Prophet, make him see reason”  
“Alright, I'll see you on the other side then, just...”  
The old king wandered over, placing a paw on Asriel's shoulder and giving him a look of calm, yet earnest love.  
“Whatever happens, I want you to know that... I am so proud of you, you and your sister. I count myself completely unworthy of the blessing that saw you returned to us”  
He glanced over at Caderas, waiting patiently.  
“If it all ends here... I think this will finally be an ending I could accept in peace. I have many regrets, but knowing that you and your sister grew up to be the people you are... make it all worth it in the end”

* * *

 

Not far away, the human known as The Prophet raced down a stony corridor. The air burned in his lungs, not helped in the slightest by the obscenities he were saying.  
How could it go so wrong? In all the timelines he had scryed, Asriel had never been able to defeat Caderas, not even in the ones where the Prince still possessed Frisk's human soul had he been able to overcome the old general. So, of course, the only way to get past him was to not fight him at all and instead give him a more tempting target; King Asgore.

“Dammit, dammit, dammit!” He wheezed in between strained breaths “Caderas, you fucking idiot!”  
How many times had he told him of the importance of what he was trying to do? Hundreds! At least! And yet, the old fool had let the Prince pass!

He reached the large silo doors holding the monster prisoners... or what remained of them, at least.  
'Good' the human thought. All was not lost. The Prince would arrive soon and when he did, he would have to explain his actions to him, tell him everything, even show him what had become of the kidnapped monsters if need be. He just needed to convince The Prince to give up and return home.

The huffed a dark laugh at the thought. Yeah, no way in hell that would happen...

He felt the invisible hand of his asthma start to close around his throat, no doubt provoked by his mad dash from the observation room to the containment silo, and he reached into his pocket for his inhaler.

He would try to convince Asriel, but in the timelines he had seen, he couldn't remember a single one where that had happened.  
A pity, then. If Asriel wouldn't give up on this, he would have to die. The whole world was at risk and for The Prophet, no sin was too grave to commit if it meant saving it.

* * *

 

Back in the entry hall, 2 old friends, trainer, and trainee, faced each other.

Asgore's mind was racing, both at the sheer impossibility of the situation, but also by the knowledge of what was about to happen.  
“T'is good to see thee again, Little Horns” Caderas rumbled with genuine mirth.  
“You have a strange way of showing it, then. For hundreds of years I've thought you were dead... and then I find out you have been involved in... all of this, and just now in the process of killing my son!”  
“I realise it must look like that but I assure thee, Prince Asg- King Asgore, that all I hath done I did for the future of monsterkind”  
The dual-headed axe reappeared in the general's paw, shining red with magical light.

Asgore's shoulders sagged as he let out a heartfelt sigh.  
“I don't understand, Master Caderas, how could... how could any of this be for our people? How does destroying so many monster's lives and killing me and my family help in any way?"  
A moment of reflection passed over the old general's eyes. Not really doubt, but there was clear evidence of regret.  
He looked down at the axe in his paws and ran a thumb along the shaft as he began circling Asgore.

“I hath tutored 5 generations of young Dreemurrs in the art of combat. I hath never sired offspring of mine own but I took to each of thee as if thou were mine own. Thee, thine grandfather and those that came before, each one I taught how to master the spear, the axe, the sword, the hammer... the trident. I did that... Because I wanted them to be able to protect themselves and their people. At each one, I earnestly hoped they would never have to use what I thought them, yet prayed that if need be, they would not hesitate to raise their weapons in defense of our lands. For 3 generations my hopes and prayers were answered... until...”  
“The War...” Asgore finished for him.  
“...No, t'was no war. A war requires 2 warring sides battling for dominance. What this war was, was a one-sided slaughter! Brought about by the greatest traitor and coward in the history of monsterkind!”  
Caderas glowered at Asgore. His eyes betraying a seething, barely contained anger within.  
“...Thine father...”  
Asgore let out a pent up breath. He supposed he should feel some kind of animosity at someone insulting his dad like that, and yet, coming from someone like Caderas, he almost couldn't help but immediately accept his words as the truth.  
And he still remembered that horrible war and what his dad had done... or rather, what he hadn't done.

“When the war first began to loom” Caderas began again “Thine father ordered me and my most loyal guards to occupy a strategic location; this mountain, overlooking the valley in which Valantis's kingdom once existed. I liked the idea; we would be within close striking distance of the human's capital if war broke out and we would be able to hold out for months if we were attacked. Dissuasion trough proximity”  
“So that's why you just disappeared one day” Asgore said out loud.  
“Yes. Our mission was of the highest secrecy. We were to tell no one”  
“Then... what happened?”  
Caderas grimaced in anger once again, tightening his grip on the axe.  
“Thine father happened, Little Horns”  
“My dad?”  
“That cowardly cretin... I had thought his plan was sound; if we could avoid war altogether by threatening the humans, that would be fine, but I had never expected that our king could be so duplicitous. When the humans started to move on our kingdom, I contacted thine father for the order to attack... dost thee know what his answer was?”  
“...”  
“”Stand down”... our cities burned, our people were dragged from their homes and slaughtered in the streets, our entire race was in danger of being wiped from the face of the earth... and we were told to stand down merely because our “noble and gracious” king did not wish anymore “unnecessary deaths”...the fool. The hunter doth not relent the hunt merely because his prey refuses to fight for its survival”  
“Caderas, I-”  
“Of course, I ignored him. What good is a pack of lions if they art lead by a sheep? I made preparation for the attack on Valantis's capital but on the eve of our assault; the final treasonous act of our king towards his Royal Guard...”  
He looked up towards the hole in the ceiling from which Asriel and Asgore had entered. The starry night sky was just barely visible and a beam of moonlight shone trough, illuminating the middle of the room where Caderas now stood.

“I cannot leave this mountain, Little Horns. Perhaps thine father hath always expected that war would happen... whatever the case, there is a magical Barrier on this mountain, much like one on Ebott, I have been told, but weaker. I told my guardsmen to leave, to seek out any kind of sanctuary they could find on the surface and leave me in the darkness, but... there were no such thing. The surface was crawling with humans baying for our dust. The only safe place was down here”  
He turned to look at Asgore. A tired weariness evident on his face.  
“Like thee, I hath been trapped beneath the darkness of a mountain for centuries, not knowing what hath happened to those I had sworn my life to protect... until one day, a grim truth became apparent”  
Another short pause. Caderas closed his eyes, apparently whatever “truth” he was remembering caused him pain.  
“Many of mine guardsmen hath families” He resumed “Wives, husbands, sons, and daughters waiting for them at home... can thee imagine their despair when they one day realized that they grew no older?... Many of mine guardsmen did not survive that horror, brave, loyal Royal Guards, falling down... a guard with nothing to guard over is nothing... and they became just that, all because of thine father...”

Asgore regarded the old general with sympathy. In truth, he didn't know a whole lot about Caderas other than his unwavering loyalty and devotion to monsterkind. Something that had been deeply and hurtfully betrayed. He had trained under him for many years and he been like a second dad to him.  
It pained him to see him like this.

“Caderas... I can't even begin to express how sorry I am for... everything that has happened” Asgore began, speaking in a slow and calm voice.  
“I too, have known loss, both during and after the war. I too have felt betrayed by people I thought I knew”  
He drew in breath, preparing for another admission.

“You're right about my dad. He should have fought, for all of us, instead of clinging to ideals that, in the end, got most of us killed. He did you wrong, he did all of us wrong”  
He stood up more straight, adding some steel to his voice.  
“But that doesn't excuse what you have done, Master Caderas. I am not my father and neither is my son. I fail to see what killing any of us could ever hope to achieve, how it could “save” monsterkind”  
“Simple” Caderas immediately replied.  
“What?”  
“Thou art wrong, thou are more like thine father than thee know. I may have been trapped in the darkness for centuries but I have not been blind to what has happened on the surface. When I heard that our people hath survived and emerged from beneath Mt. Ebott I was overjoyed. Mine worst fear had been proven for naught... or so I thought”  
He hoisted his axe in both hands, standing threateningly.  
“Cordons, quarantines, condemnations, sanctions, all these things and more have the humans of today used to try and stifle us, to choke the life out of our newly revitalized livelihood on the surface... and under thine stewardship, they have succeeded”  
“Wh-what!?”  
“I thought better of thee, Little Horns, I thought that thee would be stronger and wiser than thine father... but thee art just like him!”  
“Caderas...”  
“We used to be a great and glorious people! A shining star of magic, culture, and prosperity! Now, we grovel at the human's feet like an obedient mongrel hound, begging for scraps and whining in fear at our “master's” raised hand!... Thee, thine father... all of thou damnable Dremmurrs... THEE ART TO BLAME!” He finished with a roar of anger.

“Our downfall is on thine hands! As long as a Dreemurr rules we will be ruled with weakness! As long as thine kith and kin commands the destiny of Ebott we will never rise again!”  
“Well, what do you expect me to do!?” Asgore snarled back, intimidated but unbowed. “Yes, we may never have the Kingdom we once had, but at least we have our lives! We have to live by the humans terms, true, but it will get better!”  
“I hath expected thee to do what thine father did not; fight!... alas, I should have expected as much. I have served thine family line for longer than thee have, I know thee, thine family's devotion to monsterkind I could never dispute... but thee lack the will and strength to do what is necessary”  
“You... you would have us wage another war?”  
“Better to live one day in the sun as a free monster, than a lifetime in the shadow of another”  
“You're insane...” Asgore breathed out. Caderas didn't answer.  
“So that's it then? You're just going to kill us? Then what?”  
“A new, stronger leadership will take hold of the reins of monsterkinds future”  
“How do you know that?”  
“The Prophet have told me”

A sudden chill fell over Asgore. Whoever this Prophet was... could it be he actually lived up to his name? And if he did, who would replace him as king of monsterkind of not someone from his family?

“It ends here, Little Horns. Steel thyself, I would hope thee have been lax in thine training” Caderas rumbled, stepping into a combat stance.  
“Hate me if thee want. I am merely doing my duty”  
Asgore did the same, albeit slower. An odd feeling of pleasant familiarity came over him. He still remembered the hundreds of hours he had spent sparring with Caderas and for just a moment he was back.  
“So am I” 

* * *

 

Asriel staggered down the long, dark corridor Caderas had led him to. His one paw clutching the barely healed wound on his stomach. It throbbed painfully, enough for him to sometimes stop and gasp in pain and blur his vision.

The underground base was a spartan and militaristic looking complex, quite at odds with the vibrant and colorful streets of Ebott. The lights only barely revealed the path before him and the stony walls were bare and featureless.  
Yet, here and there, hidden in the shadows, were the remnants, those left behind after the war. Asriel barely noticed them; these lost soldiers of the Royal Guard who had hidden themselves away underground for centuries. They made no move to approach or stop him, much as Caderas had told him. If they made it out of here, re-integrating them into Ebott would prove quite a challenge.

He entered a large circular room, one end holding a large steel silo-door, guarded by... what looked like to be a lone human, though, in the darkness, he couldn't tell what he looked like.  
As soon as he laid eyes on the figures, a crawling, cold sensation came over his mind, like tiny fingers of ice digging into his brain. For just a second it also looked like the human's eyes flashed a cold blue.  
“Prince Asriel Dreemurr of Ebott I presume?” The human called. Despite the distance between them, his voice echoed trough the cavernous room and Asriel heard him clearly.  
Heard a voice he recognized.  
“The Prophet?” Asriel asked back.  
“Glad to hear you remember me”  
“How could I ever forget a nickname like that?” Asriel said snidely.  
“You mean something like “The God of Hyperdeath””?  
He froze, pondering for a few seconds if he had heard correctly.  
“How... how do you know that?” Asriel asked, almost a whisper of disbelief.  
“Part of my little curse” The human explained “I know a lot of things and a lot about you"

Asriel took a breath, recovering from the surprise from before.  
“Then you know why I'm here, then”  
“I do” The human answered with a somber nod “Yet, as I said before, I truly am trying to save the world. If I have to put you down, then I will”  
“I'm not here to fight” Asriel said, standing up straight and using a more relaxed tone “Yet, I still don't get how doing what you've done would help save the world, or from what, even”

The Prophet was silent for a few seconds, shifting on his feet as if uncomfortable.  
“I suppose I owe an explanation, after all” he began “Especially seeing as it has a lot to do with you”  
“With me?” Asriel breathed.  
“Tell me, what happens after you die?”  
Asriel blinked and took a step back in surprise.  
“Wh- what?”  
“You're part of an exclusive club, Prince Dreemurr, the club of people who have died but are still alive. At the moment, I can only think of one other member; your “savior-sister” Frisk”  
Asriel narrowed his eyes at The Prophet in mystification. How he knew so much about him puzzled him deeply.  
“She still has that power, you know, the Determination to refuse death. Though, I guess you would know, wouldn't you?” The Prophet continued.  
“You're talking about the power to SAVE and LOAD...”  
“The very same, a power you have once possessed. But tell me, do you know who had that power before you?”  
Asriel looked at the human with confusion. As far as he knew, no-one but him and Frisk had ever had that power, they were the only beings with the necessary Determination... unless...  
“No...” Asriel breathed.

Ahead of him, The Prophet nodded.  
“I'm afraid so, Prince Asriel. There is one other who had the power to refuse death, and still has, in fact. One person you knew and loved so dearly, yet still almost cost you everything, down to your very soul”  
Asriel's mind was roiling inside his head. The person the Prophet was talking about could only... but that made no sense!

“The one I'm trying to save the world from has many names, you probably know them best as the “the first human”...

… Chara Dreemurr”

* * *

 

Asgore eyed his adversary warily. Most of the stories about Caderas were, he knew, exaggerated, but they did well to underline one important fact; Caderas might well be the greatest warrior monsterkind had ever seen. His thick mane cast a shadow over his face, veiling any expression he might have had.

Yet he was still a mere monster. He could be beaten. He could be killed.

Asgore charged at him, making up his plan of attack as he went. There was a patch of open ground right beside The General, perfect for a rising fireball volley spell. He would have to lure him just a bit to the side.

He stabbed out with his trident, aiming for Caderas's shoulder, close enough that it would cause severe damage if it hit, but far enough to the side that it could be easily dodged.  
Neither happened.  
Instead, Caderas reached up and grabbed the hilt of the trident, arresting it while the prongs were a mere centimeter away from piercing his shoulder.  
“It is good to think on thine feet, Little Horns, yet thee maketh thine intentions too obvious” He calmly stated.  
He raised his magical axe to strike Asgore down. In a fit of rushed panic Asgore conjured a fireball in his free paw, intending to quickly smash it into Caderas, but in his hurry, he lost control of his magic and it instead exploded, blasting both combatants away from each other.

Asgore fought trough the haze to his feet, ignoring the dizziness in his head and the searing pain his paw from where the fireball had exploded. Ahead of him, Caderas did the same.  
But right where Asgore had wanted him.  
He raised his paw, summoning a volley of fireballs in the earth beneath Caderas's feet.  
The look of alarm on The Generals face quickly turned to one of action. He leaped back, the magical axe in his hand shimmering and changing form as he did, turning into what looked like a large tower shield. His jump put him out of range of the fireballs and as they rose he slashed out with the shield, using it as a kind of bat that sent the fireballs racing towards Asgore.  
“G-golly!” He yelped, as he barely managed to clumsily roll out of the way.  
He stumbled to his feet, barely in time to turn away from a piercing stab from Caderas's weapon, now formed into a greatsword. The strike carved a deep furrow in The King's shoulder armor, just shy of drawing dust.  
The close distance caused Asgore to launch into an upwards slice with his trident. Caderas retaliated with a downwards swing of his own and the 2 weapons clashed into each other in a shower of magical sparks. The King and General locked eyes.  
“Most impressive, Little Horns, I see thee have kept thine skills sharp since last we sparred” Caderas rumbled with a smile, grazed by the barest hint of pride.  
“W-well, what can I say? I've learned everything from the best”  
The General's smile dropped from one of pride into that of a predator.  
“No, Little Horns, far from everything”

* * *

 

“That's... impossible...” Asriel breathed out loud, to no one in particular.  
“I know it's a bit of a mind-twister, but I wouldn't do all of this on a mere hunch. I know it's a fact” The Prophet voice echoed from the other side of the large, cavernous room.  
“But Chara is dead... have been for years!”  
“Hah! You of all people should know that death is not always the end. Just take your dear Savior, for example, within her soul lies the power to refute death itself, a power that you and Chara once possessed as well”

Asriel's mind was a sea of clashing memories, screaming denials and growing doubts. Chara had always been... a rowdy type, always getting into trouble... or at last doing stuff that should have gotten them in the trouble. They always seemed to have a preternatural ability to avoid getting caught, almost as if... they knew.

“But... but she did die!” Asriel affirmed, stomping down as he did as if to anchor himself to the ground, lest he fly away with his thoughts.  
“I saw them... waste away day by day... until I took their soul...”  
“Because they choose to die, I imagine” The Prophet shrugged “Chara was a tortured soul, I guess they wanted their death to be as slow and painful as possible when they could have just, I dunno, taken a knife to themselves and ended it there and then”  
“But why didn't she just reload, then?”  
“Because you had their soul and thus their power, you just never realized”

A grim, heavy shroud fell over Asriel's heart. He could... reloaded himself when he first died? Prevented... all of that from happening?

“When you died” The Prophet started, interrupting his thoughts. “Your souls split. Your essence went into the flower, and we all know how that ended up, while Chara's soul sunk into the void”  
“What do you mean?”  
Despite the darkness, Asriel noticed a faint smile creep across The Prophet's face “Ah, one of the many secrets of the universe which I am privy to; what happens after we die. I'm sure you're well aware of the concepts of LV and EXP? When a soul becomes laden with either, it grows bloated, heavy with the sins it has committed in life. When the body expires it either sinks into the void or ascends to, heh, well, god knows where, I guess” He said with a chuckle.  
“Chara wasn't evil!” Asriel snapped back, almost a snarl.  
“Sure, they had their problems, but they always did their best to be the best person possible! They wouldn't... they wouldn't sink like that!”  
“Oh, c'mon! You of all people should know better than that!” The Prophet scoffed. “Chara's last actions in this world was to kill themselves, slowly, causing you and your family much grief, all the while fully intending to dupe you into slaughtering hundreds of innocent humans. If that's not an LV-thing to do, I don't know what is”

Asriel felt his claws instinctively unsheathe. The Prophet may be right about his late sibling, but they had still been a Dreemurr to the core and no one would talk about them like that!

“Nevertheless, they still had their Determination. Enough to refuse death, even from the other side...  
...enough to tear down the very walls separating the world of the living from the void” The Prophet finished with a deathly coldness.  
In an instant, Asriel's anger was gone, replaced by an uncertain fear.  
“What?”  
“Since your “resurrection” your long-lost sibling has been trying to return to the world of the living and they have the power to do so”  
The human took a step forward, stomping as if to underline his point.  
“But they won't come alone. If they tear a hole into our world, millions of lost, angry souls will follow them, hungry for the feelings and emotions they have lacked since their death”  
He closed his eyes and clenched his hand into a fist before him.  
“They will wash over our world like a locust swarm, devouring every soul they can find. They will drag monsters and humans into their realm, to feed on them for eternity and all that will be left will be a world of the soulless... a world of “Floweys””

Asriel let out a pent up breath. He had no reason to trust what The Prophet was saying to be true, and yet, deep within...he knew. There weren't the faintest trace of a lie in the human's voice.

“For as long as I have lived, that is the vision I see before me every time I close my eyes” The Prophet said, slowly and bitterly. “A vision of our world, overrun by the dead, leaving nothing left but empty husks, of people, of cities, of a planet that once teemed with life, vigor and color. And all of it brought about by the most dangerous emotion of all...”  
He looked up at Asriel, there was a trace of pain and weariness on his face.  
“...love”  
“Love?” Asriel asked, a bit taken aback.  
“Yes, and not the LV kind. Chara... the reason they seek to return to our world... is because they love you, Asriel. They need you. Perhaps they don't know that doing so will most likely kill everyone, including you, or perhaps they just don't care...”

The human sighed and stood up straight. His voice took on a more self-assured tone.  
“Fortunately, I've been planning for this the last few years. If we can't stop The Revenants from entering this world we'll just have to give them what they want... as bait”  
He turned and trudged over to a lever sitting in the wall. With a grunt of effort, he pulled it down and immediately the room was filled with the sound of a blaring alarm and the screeching of the large silo doors opening.  
For Asriel, it was like a vacuum exploding in front of him. As the doors started to slide open a sense of phenomenal magical power washed over him, more than he had ever felt, even in his god-form. His fur stood on end, his teeth started to itch and the back of his head started to throb. The whole room seemed as if bathed in magical potency... but also... pain and suffering, he recognized.

“The 33 monsters you seek, among others, will help as that bait” The human called over the din. “What I'm about to show you... please, I hope you can withhold judgment until I have explained”

Asriel leaned down to place a paw on the ground in order to steady himself against the enormous yet invisible wave of magic washing over him, he just barely managed to raise his head to look at what lay beyond the silo doors.  
… and immediately regretted he did.

A mountain of flesh was the only thing it could be described as. A humongous pile of limbs, heads, eyes, mouths and teeth formed into a chaotic mass.  
Gruesomely, Asriel noticed telltale signs of monsters, small patches of fur, heads of monsters he recognized.  
Large cables were plugged into the abomination, pumping what he guessed to be a kind of sedative into it. It seemed to be asleep; most of the faces had their eyes closed and the blaring alarm had been replaced by the noise of a dozen snoring heads, only broken up by an occasional whimper or cry of despair from whatever they were dreaming.

Asriel could only stare wide-eyed at the thing, a feeling of deep tragedy and horror, but also righteous anger blossoming in his chest.  
“What... what have you done?” He hissed at the human.  
The human in question sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he looked at the abomination shamefully.  
“I have... created the god which will save us. 33 humans and 33 monsters, combined, bodies and souls...  
… The Amalgam Alpha”

* * *

 

Asgore smashed into a cavern wall, causing a small section of it to collapse all around him. He gritted his teeth against the pain, dimly aware of Caderas rushing at him trough the haze of dizziness.  
He trusted his trident out to meet his charge, feeling a surge of momentum as it scraped 3 deep lines in the sides of The Generals armor, not drawing dust but enough to force him to abort his attack.

Asgore followed up, swinging his trident in a wide swing and infusing it with fire magic, causing the prongs to catch afire.  
Caderas ducked under the first swing. He gripped his weapon in both hands and, in one smooth move, seemed to pull it apart into 2 pieces, one forming into a kite shield and the other into a broadsword.  
Asgore realized his intentions too late as Caderas caught his back-swing on his shield, leaving him wide open to his sword.  
He kicked out, hoping to kick the sword out of Caderas's hand as it came in but it only served to merely deflect it. The sword struck against his armor, and Asgore gritted his teeth in pain as he felt it cut open his skin beneath.  
Instinctively, he let go of his trident and used his now free paw to launch into a punch. A red haze of pain clouded his vision but he just needed space to recover, which was why he felt surprised when he felt his fist connect with monster skin harshly.  
Caderas stumbled back, landing on his knee as he moved a paw up to wipe a smear of dust away from a split lip.  
“Tsk, gutter-fighter” he rumbled.  
“Oh, eh, s-sorry Master Caderas, I mean- ah!” Asgore flustered trough.  
“Quell thine fool tongue!” Caderas rumbled angrily as he stood up straight.  
“In fighting for thine own life there is no trick too lowly or dishonorable. Honor means very little to a dead monster” He moved a paw up to nurse his jaw “I am rustier than I thought if I let such an attack trough...”  
Sensing a bit of melancholy in his old teacher's voice Asgore lowered his trident a little.  
“Please, Caderas, we don't need to fight. If you... If you truly think I'm not fit to lead then come with me, show me what I could do better, what you think must be done!”  
“... No” Caderas answered after a moment of silence “I am a soldier, not a leader. All I can do is fight, for monsterkind, for our future” He hefted his weapon again, turning it into a 2-handed axe. “And if that means sacrificing my pupil... then so be it”  
“Caderas, you don't have to do this”  
“That is what thou Dreemurrs have never understood; that sometimes sacrifice is necessary, that sometimes ideals must give way to action, that sometimes even a king has to dirty his hand!”

He leaped forward, slashing down in an overhead blow with Asgore barely managing to block with his trident. The weapons connected in a flash of magical sparks that once again lit up the room.

* * *

 

“What have you done?” Asriel repeated.  
“Wh-what I had to do!” The Prophet answered, almost frantic.  
“How? How could you ever justify this... this atrocity!?”  
“Please! Ju-just lemme explain!” The human practically begged “Y-you see, the Amalgam Alpha will serve as a kind of bait, it is the result of 33 humans and 33 monsters fused together, body and soul. When Chara breaks trough and lets all the lost souls loose they won't be able to resist such power. They will flock to it and try to consume it but with the amount of power inside it, they never can!”  
“So you'll use them as a kind of living decoy? Then what?”  
The human looked away, biting his lip in shame.  
“No... don't tell me...” Asriel hissed.  
“I'm sorry, but... I don't think there's any power in this world that could ever mend a rift to the void”  
“So what, these people will just have to live on as a living plug for all eternity!?”  
“I'm sorry Prince Asriel, but it's what needs to be done”

Asriel glared at the human angrily. Small flames began to flicker around his claws and eyes.  
“No... it really isn't”  
“Asriel... believe me when I say, this really is the last option left to us”  
“What do mean 'left to us'?”  
The Prophet looked away, lost in thought for a moment.  
“A few days ago, you barely survived an assassination attempt, correct?” He said dryly.  
“...”  
“Did you ever find the bullet?”  
“Yeah, made out of pure LV, it-” Asriel's eyes widened as he realized the importance of that fact. Ahead of him, The Prophet nodded.  
“Exactly, if that bullet had killed you it would have filled your soul with LV. You would have sunk into the void to be reunited with Chara, then, they wouldn’t have to tear apart the veil”  
He sighed.  
“Unfortunately, one of your Royal Guards picked a bad day to accidentally do his job”

Asriel growled a nearly beastly snarl.  
“Doggo was a loyal guard and a good friend! Are you telling me his soul has been sent to the void!?”  
“It was an accident! It was supposed to hit you!”  
“Oh great, that makes me feel a lot better!” Asriel snapped in anger.

A moment of silence passed. Asriel took a few breaths to calm himself down and ahead of him The Prophet reached into his pocket for his asthma inhaler.

“For someone so worried about saving every living soul on the planet, you're pretty frugal with everybody else's” Asriel said.  
“Believe me when I say, I took no pleasure in doing this to them. But someone had to do it so nobody else had to”  
“How noble of you”  
“Godammit, you're not seeing the big picture here, Asriel...” The Prophet groaned. “I have seen the timelines leading from this moment, I have seen what happens if I don't do this. Fate is cruel but if it helps save anyone else... surely that's' a small price to pay?”  
“... I don't believe in fate” Asriel boldly stated.

The Prophet took a step back, confusion clear on his face.  
“What? But... you, you know about the timelines! How can you say something like that!?”  
“I know about the timelines, yes” Asriel answered with a nod “I also know they are malleable, interchangeable. I used to believe my fate was nothing but loneliness and despair, trapped as a flower and it was... but then someone came along and showed me I didn't have to bow my head to fate, that our destinies are what we make them to be”  
“Asriel...”  
“Tell me, if you've seen the timelines, is there at least one where we stop these lost souls without resorting to the atrocity you have committed? Just one?”  
  
The Prophet held his breath, not answering.  
Yet for just a second Asriel saw his eyes waver.  
“I knew it... there is another way” Asriel said coldly.  
“Asriel, even if there is it's one to a hundred. Do you really want to risk that? Are you willing to bear that burden?”  
“I could bear that any day” Asriel replied “But one thing I could never accept is using that thing you have created or leave those poor souls in your hands”  
The Prophet scowled angrily back at him.  
“I believe you think you're doing the right thing... but nothing can be worth this. If this is what it takes to save the world then it's better to let that world die... but I refuse to believe it's the only way” Asriel spoke.  
“So, you really think you can stop the coming apocalypse? You and your friends?”  
“Think with your head, but act with your heart”  
“What?”  
“It's a saying in my family. I think there's a better way to solve all of this... and I intend to show you”  
“You don't know anything. To think you can save us all is pure arrogance. I have to do this, it's the only way!”  
“The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, Prophet. You don't have to do this, and as I said, I intend to show you”  
“Say what you want, Asriel. I'm not budging” The Prophet said with finality.  
“If you really are so dead-set to doom us all... then you leave me no choice but to end you” He said coldly.

Asriel felt a sudden coldness envelop his mind, the same cold he had felt when he had entered the room. No doubt it was The Prophet and his strange power.  
“You take another step... and I will grant you a death far worse than you can imagine” The human threatened.  
Asriel responded with a steely gaze, not flinching. Caderas had warned him that the human was far more dangerous than he looked... but that went for most enemies he had faced.  
And The Prince of Monsters would not be kept from his duty.

Taking a deep breath, Asriel stepped forward towards the Amalgam Alpha.

* * *

 

Asgore fell to a knee painfully. The air burned in his lungs, but not as severely as the myriad of cuts and wounds all over his body. Already dust was beginning to leak off of him.  
“Get up” Caderas rumbled above him “A failed king thee might be, but I will grant thee one last the honor; the honor of dying on thine feet”  
Asgore looked up at him with weary determination. He knew there was no way he could beat him, he had known all along, but just for pride's sake, he was determined to fight on to the bitter end.  
He lunged at Caderas, aiming to spear him with his trident, but of course, the ancient monster had seen it coming.  
Nimbly, he deflected the trident with his axe before swiftly raising his knee, smashing it into Asgore's midriff.  
Despite the armor he wore, the blow still forced the air out of his lungs, soon after followed by Caderas harshly smashing the pommel of his axe into Asgore's back, sending him sprawling back onto the floor.  
He coughed, wheezing for the air that had been smashed out of him and he saw small clouds of dust leave his breath as he did. He was dying.  
“Get up” Caderas dryly repeated.

Asgore did as best as he could, shaking on his knees and limply raising his trident to guard.  
Caderas flew at him in a flurry of strikes. Most he managed to block but a few got in, drawing dust and tearing his armor. The General kicked him in the breastplate, which absorbed most of the impact but still sent him tumbling into a nearby wall.  
He felt tired, so incredibly tired. If he could just close his eyes for a second then he might...

Asgore felt, rather than saw, Caderas's next attack.  
Felt it, as his axe cleaved into his side, burrowing into him.  
He gasped and his vision went red with pain. The dust coming off of him turned from a mere trickle to a cascade.  
“A valiant effort, mine pupil” Caderas rumbled, with a mix of sadness and pride “Rest now and know that thine kith and kin will soon be with thee”

Asgore struggled to hold unto life, to avoid closing his eyes. But it was too much, the pain, the tiredness, it all pulled him down, down into the blackness of death.

This was it. After so many years, after so many trials, triumphs and failures, The King of Monsters end had come.

* * *

 

All Asriel saw before he collapsed was a flash of blue on the human's face, as if his eyes had suddenly become like windows to a soul of icy chill and cold will.  
A coldness that suddenly suffused every granule of dust in his body.

He toppled over stiff as a board in everything but his mind. Try as he might, Asriel couldn't move, he could barely feel his body.  
Then, what felt like a pair of cold claws sunk their deathly-chilly digits into a part of his mind to rip it open. Immediately, Asriel was pulled into a mindscape, a mental construction of... something dark, something horrible.

He could... “see” Ebott, clear as day, as if he was really there, high above it, he could even feel a cold breeze on his fur.  
He could even hear the barked orders and threats of angry humans.

InthestreetsofEbott,amonsterhuntwasoccurring.Monsterswereorderedoutoftheirhomesbyuniformed humanswheretheywereformedintocolumnsandmarchedintothebacksofgra prisoner-liketrucks.Ata fewplacessomemonstersrefusedtocomeout,thesoldierswouldkickinthedoorsinthenandforciblydrag themout.Sometimesallhesawwasabriefflashofgunfire,beforethehumansexitedthehouse,coveredin shimmeringdust.  
Asrielknewheshoulddosomething,butallhewas,allhecouldfeelwasaparalyzingsenseofutterfearand terror.Herecognizedwhatwashappeninginthestreetsforwhatitwas;theefficient,bureaucraticandordered endofmonsterkindandheknewwhyhefeareditsomuch.Thiswasanendingthatcouldonlyhappenwerehe toassumeleadershipofhispeopleandfail,wheremonsterkindsendcouldbeplacedsolelyathisfeet.Abad endingwherehisweaknessandincompetencesawhispeopledieout,theirdestinycutshortbythesimple signingofapoliticaldocument.

In the real world, The Prophet marched quietly over to the dying monster, exhaling a deep sigh, both at the splitting headache he knew would come for exerting his power like this, but also at the sheer waste of it all. The Prince of Monsters thrashed on the ground, eyes wide open in fear with tears rolling from them, and small whimpers of horror periodically escaping him.  
He crouched down beside Asriel and peered into his mind to witness the genocide he was experiencing inside his head.  
“As expected” he whispered to himself “Your greatest fear is to fail, to make all the sacrifices that have been made so that you could live in vain”  
He shook his head, standing back up to look down at Asriel.  
“You needn't have feared such an outcome. In all the timelines I have seen where you became king, outcomes such as this were few and far between... you could have been great, if you just hadn't been in my way”

Killing someone like this was cruel, he knew. To fill someone's mind with their greatest fear, exposing their very soul to nothing but terror until their body shut down and died. The Prince deserved better, he knew... but still, perhaps this death was more merciful than the others he could have have had. At the very least, now the Prince's inner torment and doubts could end.

* * *

 

The pain was lessening, a bad sign, Asgore knew, a sign that death was not far off.  
Caderas stood still in front of him, with his axe still firmly lodged in his side, unmoving, waiting for Asgore to become dust before removing his axe in order to spare his pupil any further pain.

Asgore had suffered worse. The day his 2 children had died so long ago had brought him far worse agony and pain than any mortal, physical wound could, and not only to him.  
And... it might happen again. His son was still down here and once Caderas was finished with him... he would come for Asriel and Toriel, maybe even Frisk.

No... he had failed his family once, he would NOT do so again.  
Limply, Asgore moved a paw up to the axe in his side, eliciting a grunt from Caderas.  
“There is no shame in defeat to a stronger opponent, only in failing to realize it, Little Horns” he rumbled.  
“Relent. Let the great dark claim thee. Thee will not have to wait long for thine kin”  
Asgore bared his teeth, hanging unto every word Caderas was saying, fighting tooth and claw not to just give up and die.  
He felt his way along Caderas's axe, gripping it as tight as he could. He began channeling magic into his other paw, out of Caderas's sight. Slowly, his trident began to take shape.

“You underestimate us... Caderas” Asgore said, almost a whisper.  
“What?” Caderas rumbled.  
“It is true, we Dreemurrs have experienced defeat and loss many times and all too often those we sought to protect have suffered due to our failings...”  
Asgore's eyes opened and for a moment Caderas was stunned at the burning will he saw in them.  
“But each time we have learned from the past, each defeat have only made us stronger... and you... can never take that away from us!”

Suddenly, Asgore pushed Caderas's axe further into himself, almost killing him outright, but the boss monster, trough gritted teeth barely managed to hold on. Caderas, still holding onto the weapon, was moved off-balance by the unexpected move, leaving him wide open.  
Just as planned.

Asgores thrusted his trident forward with a roar of defiance. It struck home and he was splattered by a small amount of dust as his weapon pierced clean trough Caderas's chest plate and exited out his back.  
The old general, eyes wide in surprise, stumbled backwards, limply grasping at the trident impaled in his chest.  
“I might not be the smartest monster in existence” Asgore said “But I do know sacrifice, better than most”

Caderas turned his look to look at Asgore, then to the axe still lodged in his side. Then, slowly, a small smile formed on the old general's lips, followed by a weak chuckle.  
“Perhaps... thou art right. Perhaps I did underestimate thee. I would never have expected... thee to be capable of something like this...”  
Dust began to leak off of the old monster, falling in droves but he kept standing.  
“But understand this, Little Horns, mine death changes nothing. I doth still believe monster will never recover under thine rule... but mayhap... mayhap thee hath at least earned the chance to try"

Asgore breathed heavily, out of pain and a sense of loss. As a child Caderas had seemed like an invincible hero to most... but even heroes could die, in more ways than one.  
“Goodbye, Caderas... I'll miss you”  
“And I Thee” The old monster limply moved a paw to perform a salute.  
“Farewell, King Asgore Dreemurr of Ebott”

* * *

 

Asriel was growing quiet down on the floor. His thrashing became more and more subdued, soon enough he would have succumbed to his fears completely and he would die.

It almost leaked out of him. The whole room took on an oppressive atmosphere of death and terror. The Prophet opened himself up to it completely, for reasons he couldn't even quite tell himself. Perhaps it was a small way of punishing himself, or perhaps just to share in the final moments of a royal boss monster.

Oddly enough, The Prophet detected a hint of... anger on the wind. Impossible, he had torn Asriel's fears wide open, there was no way he could feel anything but fear.  
He took a deep breath as if tasting the air. No, there was definitely anger in the room. Quite a lot, in fact, and almost... disjointed from Asriel, as if-

Instinctively, the human ducked and jumped to the side, just a fraction of a second too late, and he felt something hard graze the side of his head. He tumbled to the floor, clumsily getting to his feet.  
Another human was there, holding a finely-made quarterstaff, a human he knew.

“Fr-Frisk!?” The Prophet stammered, shocked. He blinked as a drop of blood from a gash in his forehead went into his eye.  
“LET HIM GO!” Frisk shouted.  
“Wha-”  
“LET HIM GO! STOP HURTING HIM!”  
“Frisk, you don't understand, I can't-”

Frisk lunged forward, swinging the staff. The Prophet barely managed to backpedal out of range, clumsily stumbling onto his back but quickly getting up.  
“Frisk! I'm warning you, if you don't stop, I'll-”  
Frisk charged forward, staff raised for another attack.  
“Goddammit...” The prophet hissed.  
He reached out trough the aether, finding Frisk's mind as a bright-red flare against a dark background. He sunk his will into it and pulled...  
Frisk stumbled, a look of surprise on their face... but they didn't stop.  
“What the...” The Prophet breathed. Try as he might, he couldn't open up and exposes Frisk's mind to her greatest fear. He was sure she had some, he could feel them, but... she resisted.

“How... how are you doing that?” The Prophet asked, mouth agape and taking a few steps back in surprise. Frisk inched closer, staggering, but unbroken.  
“What are you? How can you...” He had never experienced anything like this. It was like her mind was protected by an iron shield of Determination and no matter how much he battered against it he couldn't break trough.  
He dug his heels into the ground, focusing all he could on one final attack. His head felt like it was about to burst and he could feel blood dripping from his nose, ears, and eyes. But at last, something gave.  
Frisk fell to her knees, holding a hand to her head and gasped in pain.

That was it! Just a few seconds more and-  
Something crawled on his back. He was ready to discard it as a psychosomatic reaction to his sins, but then it grabbed him hard and with a yank, he was pulled to the ground. In an instant, he knew what it was and cold panic filled him as he realized. Of course, Asriel. How could he have forgotten? He had turned all his attention away from him and to Frisk!

His thoughts were shattered as an arm suddenly wrapped around his throat and squeezed. Despite being a human, he couldn't physically break free. He had always had a frail and weak body, the same couldn't be said about Asriel.

Asriel himself was barely aware of what he was doing. His head was still swimming with the afterimages of his terrible nightmare and he could scarcely sense the human kicking and thrashing in his grip. He had heard Frisk's gasp of pain, then groggily noticed someone standing in front of him and simply grabbed out at them.  
He did remember one thing, though, a lesson on how to exploit a human anatomical weakness from Undyne; apply pressure to the side of the throat and a human could be rendered unconscious in a matter of seconds.  
…  
But hold it for just a bit longer... and death would occur...

The humans thrashing began to die down, practically out cold... but how easy it would be to just apply pressure for a few more seconds. This murderer, this kidnapper who had done such horrible things... if here were to escape here alive what would The Suits do with him? Give him a slap on the wrist and tell him not to prod at the monsters? Would he try again?  
Was it a risk he was willing to take?

Asriel opened his eyes. It was blurry, but just clear enough that he registered the limp Prophet in his arms... and Frisk a few inches away, pleading with her eyes.  
…  
He said as much himself. Murder was never a valid option. Even of The Suits would let the human go free, Asriel would find some way to ensure he would never threaten anyone again... but killing him was never an option. If he did he would be no better than The Prophet... and he had promised to show him a better way, after all.

With a groan, Asriel released The Prophet from his grasp and rolled onto his side. With a last gasp, darkness enveloped him and he entered a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record; Yes, Asriel's nightmare IS supposed to be written like that, with no spaces.
> 
> Furthermore, there'll be an epilogue coming soon, so stay tuned! I promise it won't take a whole month! Heheh... hehe... no, definitely.


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the threat of The Prophet and Caderas ended, all that is left for the group is to take stock and return home, but all is not well and the clues points towards this being just the start of something far more sinister yet to come.

The boy who would become The Prophet was born under surprisingly regular circumstances. His parents, though not wealthy by any means, loved him dearly and did their best to express that every day.

Yet, it some became clear that something was not right with him. Each night he would wake up screaming in horror, much to the distress of his parents. At first, they imagined it was simply one of the rigors of early parenthood and that it would stop as he grew older... but no such thing happened.  
As The Prophet matured, so too did the burden he placed upon his parents. While he learned to suppress his waking nightmares, he grew up frail and weak. He easily became sick and exacted a heavy toll on his parent's finances, who themselves were worried sick daily about him.

Whenever they inquired what it was he saw in his sleep, he lacked the words to tell, for who could ever believe him? Even his parents would have doubted that he saw a terrible future, a future of the dead and soulless brought about by a single red-eyed and rosy-cheeked child he had never met before.  
Yet, despite all of that, his parents cherished him dearly, they never gave up on him and always urged him to come to them if he ever needed support.

One evening, as The Prophet had neared adulthood, night was descending on the household. A sketchy reportage on the new monster city of Ebott rolled on the TV screen but his parents had both succumbed to sleep on the couch and The Prophet was soon to follow.  
But as he did, his vision, his constant nocturnal companion returned, more violent and clear and ever before. He saw the revenants of the long-dead cleave the souls from the living, he saw death and carnage, everywhere he looked was the sight of the world dying.  
Amidst the chaos, there was a single individual that stood out, clear and almost... integral, as if all that was happening stemmed from it. As The Prophet looked closer, he recognized the figure as the prince of monsters, tall and proud. In an instant, The Prophet knew; for whatever reason, the prince was the key to avoiding the coming apocalypse... and possibly the key to cause it.

A searing hotness woke The Prophet from his nightmare; all around him the house was burning, fire engulfing everything with no wait out.  
Scared and confused, The Prophet curled up and called for help... and somebody came.  
His father, appearing trough the flames like a saving angel, wordlessly picked him up and dashed back in. With the last of his strength, he threw The Prophet trough a window, outside to safety on the dew-stained grass, who could only stare in wide-eyed horrific denial as his father succumbed to the flames, his last words drowned out by the roar of the fire.  
He tried to rise, but the flames, the smoke, and fear were too much for him and he collapsed back down... and for the first time in all his life The Prophet had an empty, peaceful sleep.

Alas, he woke up to a new nightmare the next morning. The people he had loved the most were gone, along with the only home he had ever known. Distraught and alone, he had marched up to Mt. Talbot. The peak lacked the same story about its sister mountain, Mt. Ebott, about how you would disappear if you went up there, but he didn't care; he didn't just want to disappear, he wanted to die. There was nothing left for him in this world, other than the horrible end he knew was coming. All his life he had been nothing more than a burden and a letdown... well, no more.

He reached the top and had already planned to simply lie down and succumb to the cold when his foot slipped and he tumbled down, down into a vast cavern where he landed with the sickening, painful crunch of several of his bones shattering.  
He cried out in pain and for anyone listening to come help him. He had wanted to die, but not like this... and just like last time, someone came.  
Yet this was no saving angel, instead, what came out of the darkness, like a creature crawling out from under a bed, was a large, brutish monster wielding a red-glowing axe... and he wasn't alone.  
All around the human, more monsters stepped out from the darkness, surrounding him in a ring of malicious stares and angered growls.  
The fist one, the one that seemed to be the leader, loomed over him, axe poised to smear him across the ground. But then, for just a moment, they had locked eyes and the sensation of something ethereal flowing from The Prophet into the monster filled him. The brute collapsed to the floor, clutching his head and screaming for him to stop. The lesser monsters had tried to intervene, wishing to help their leader but wary that they might suffer the same fate.

The Prophet, just as confused as the monsters, quickly learned; his curse was something he could share, the minds of others, even those of less physical matter like monsters could be opened up and exposed to their worst nightmares. He had subdued a creature far more ancient and far stronger than him with a mere thought.  
From there, a plan quickly took root. The world had to be saved, too many good people had lived and died for it to go to waste, and nothing would be too extreme, even bending these monsters to his will if need be. The souls of every living creature had to be saved... no matter the cost.

* * *

 

When The Prophet had reached into Asriel's mind to open up his fears and read his past he had also exposed his own to the monster prince, which was why he looked down at the human, sitting on a cot in a cell aboard the airship, with pity rather than anger.  
Asriel rested against the wall, putting his crutches aside. The human's psychic assault had paralyzed some parts of his body, though Alphys had reassured him that it would only be temporary and that he would regain full functionality soon enough, but for now, Asriel had to make do with 2 new traveling companions, dubbed Ol'lefty and Ol' righty be Frisk.

“So...” The Human began dryly from within his cell, breaking the silence “What happens now?”  
“We're taking you to Ebott” Asriel quickly answered.  
The Prophet looked up with a questioning look.  
“The Suits, that is, the human government, weren't sure what to make of all of his” Asriel explained “An Amalgate Alpha, the souls, the long-lost monsters, they were more than happy to let us take care of everything”   
“Well, bully for you, huh?” The human sneered back “Catching a big, bad ol' human like me that you can parade around in your little city? Tsk...”  
“That's not it” Asriel crossed his arms “You took and defiled 30 monsters, monsters who had families. You'll have to answer to them”  
“And how will I do that?”  
“That's up to them” Asriel finished.  
They held each other's stare for a few seconds before the human broke away with a dismissive grunt.

A short silence filled the room. Try as he might, Asriel found it hard to judge the human. He had had good intentions, it was just his measures that were flawed... severely.

“Why did you do it?” Asriel asked eventually.  
“You know why, I told you” The Prophet answered coldly.  
“Yes, you did, which is why I can't understand why you'd do something like this”   
The Prophet looked back up at him, searching his face for any kind clue as to what he was digging at.  
“I... saw your past, what happened to you... your father was very brave” Asriel said.  
The human didn't answer.  
“But what do you think he would say if he saw what you had done?”  
“You don't know what you're talking about...”  
“In fact, I do” Asriel said with a sigh.  
“I was... lost... a long time ago, stuck in a hell so horrible I couldn't even muster up enough emotion to even recognize it. That was, until someone came along and gave their very life... in order to save mine” Asriel recounted solemnly.   
“Since that day, I've striven to make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain and to do my best to live by their example”

The Prophet grimaced and looked away. Another short pause filled the room before the human looked down and sighed.  
“I know my parents probably wouldn't be proud of me, but...” He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.  
“I just... always felt that unless I did absolutely EVERYTHING I could to save everyone, I was disrespecting them... and what they did to me”  
Asriel nodded, understanding “Your father's sacrifice was his final gift to you, not a burden” The Prince said “I'm sure he would have wanted you to live your life as you wanted to, freely, not use every waking moment of it to repay his gift”  
“Like you do?”  
“That's different”  
“Sure it is” The human said with a defeated scowl.

Another short pause. Asriel reached for his crutches and made to leave, but the stirring of the human in his cell made him look up, finding The Prophet looking at him with intent.  
“I know I'm in no position to ask a favor of you, but... there is one I'd like to ask”  
Asriel waited for a few seconds before answering “What is it?”  
“Kill me”  
“What!?”  
“You heard me”

Asriel blinked a few times, still somewhat baffled by the sudden request.  
“I felt your mind when I exposed you to your fears” the human said “I know you have it in you to take a life”  
Asriel narrowed his eyes at the human.  
“And why... would you want me to do that?” He asked.  
“Because you've pretty much ensured the world's end at the hands of life-starved souls. This might just be me, but I'd far rather be long dead and gone before that happens”  
“... so just like that, you're going to give up?” Asriel answered.  
“What? No, Asriel, you don't understand, we can't stop them without the Amalgam Alpha, It's the only way”  
“And as I told you before; I refuse to believe that. We WILL find another way that doesn't require us to butcher other people” Asriel said resolutely. The 2 of them locked eyes, and even from within the dark cell could clearly see the hate in the human's cold blue eyes, standing in the much more bright room outside.  
“... Then everyone's deaths will be on your hands...” The human hissed, slinking back onto his cot.

With a sigh, Asriel turned to leave. Just before he reached the door he stopped.  
“You're not completely wrong about me, prophet...” he said.  
The human looked up, a bit surprised.  
“These last few days, I've come... perilously close to losing myself... several times, even”  
He slowly turned to face the human.  
“Perhaps the day will come where I will end up... taking a life. I'm not the saint or hero so many people seem to think I am. I am just a monster, plain and simple”

He took a step forward and raised a clenched hand in front of himself.  
“But even a guy like me has his own brand of pride, and I plan on sticking to it. Not matter what... it will never be 'kill or be killed' for me again”

The human looked on without a word, thought the hate on his face had given way to curiosity. Asriel's paw dropped to his side to grab at the crutch and he looked aside, out the window to the blue sky outside.  
“We should arrive in Ebott in a day's time... but before I leave you... I have a question”  
He looked back up at the human, face still filled with curiosity – even slight bemusement on his face.  
“What's your name?” Asriel asked.  
A short pause, followed by a short chuckle from the human.  
“Why'd you want to know that? Need a name for the ghastly human that comes to steal small monster kids away if they misbehave?” he answered mockingly.  
“No, “The Prophet” will do just fine if we ever need that” Asriel answered “I simply just want to know”.

The grin on the human's face faded, replaced by one of deep thought and contemplation. After a few seconds, he looked away.  
“No” he simply muttered.  
“No?”  
“My name... is not something I want to give... not yet anyway”  
Asriel narrowed his eyes at the human “Not yet?” he pondered to himself.  
“But there is another thing I can give you” The human started up again “Something that, I'm pretty sure, relates to you”  
“Oh? And what might that be?”

The human turned to face Asriel completely and folded his hands in front of himself, looking very much like one about to tell a story.  
“When I scryed the timeline in which you managed to beat me, the one we're living now, I also read a 'prophecy' of sorts, woven by the threads of fate”  
“A Prophecy?” Asriel asked out loud.  
“Yup. Wanna hear it?” The human asked, though he began before Asriel even had a chance to answer.

“The Dragon of Ebott has a will of iron, a heart of tarnished gold and a destiny of moldable clay. Quick is he to act, and bravely he jumps into the fray. Woe betides the one who earns his wrath and becomes his prey. Returned to life was he, by a life-filed breath, but returned he a dragon of light or a dragon of death?”

“The Dragon of Ebott...” Asriel mused, lost in thought.  
“Hey, I don't write them” The human said with a weak smile “But still, 'dragon' is not all that bad, is it? Better than, I dunno, 'The Pigeon of Ebott', right?”  
“But... what does it mean?”  
The human shrugged “It can mean a lot of things. Dragons, at least in human cultures, is a bit of a divided issue. Some see them as noble creatures, always ready to fight for the good of all, even against the mightiest of evils”  
The human's lips curled into a smirk.  
“But others see them as the creatures of great avarice. Greedy monsters that hoard great troves of treasure, refusing to budge and inch... even if it means the death of others...”  
Their eyes met again. Asriel's lips curled into a small snarl.  
“Of course, it's rarely literal. You don't have any scales, for instance, and treasure might as well be, hmm, ideals or principles, maybe? Reminds you of anyone? Dragon of Ebott?” The human asked mockingly, but his only answer was Asriel turning and exiting, leaving the human alone in the dark holding area.

* * *

 

The days that followed were a nice change of pace for most of the people that had gone on the expedition. The Amalgam Alpha was placed under secure custody. With the amount of power inside of it, and it's unreliable mental state it was deemed too dangerous to roam free, so a protective magical dome was constructed for it outside of town, overseen by Alphys, and where the family members of the unfortunate monsters could come and visit as they please.

The expedition's success had also seen monsterkind gain a surprising amount of leverage on the political scene. Sloanes, the suit that had attempted to use the crisis as a way to get his grubby hands on Mt. Ebott had been shown up, and most of the remaining members were impressed by the speed and efficiency in which the incident had been resolved.

Asriel pondered all of this with a meek scowl, looking at the sun setting over Ebott from the balcony of Asgore's large home on a hill overlooking the town. Sure, the incident had been “resolved” but they hadn't succeeded. He, Frisk, Undyne, and Alphys had set out to rescue the kidnapped monsters, and in that respect, they had failed.

“Don't worry” Frisk said, appearing suddenly at his side “I'm sure Alphys will figure something out”  
Asriel sighed in response “I sure hope so...”  
“And hey, even if we didn't save them from... well, you know, we did at least save them from being used a living banquet for all eternity, so cheer up! I'm sure they'd thank you if they could!”  
“I suppose so” Asriel answered with a weak smile. She was right, it wasn't a complete success, but a success nonetheless.

“Quite the pair the 2 of us, huh?” Frisk began with a happy tone, jabbing Asriel in the side with an elbow “with my brains and your brawn we make an excellent team” she said, eliciting a small laugh from Asriel.  
“Your 'brains' and plans got us into trouble a few times, if I recall” he answered.  
“Well, you can't spell 'Frisk' without 'risk'”  
“Hahaha, I guess not”

A calm, warm breeze washed over them. Frisk reached up to wrap an arm around Asriel's shoulder, and he returned to gesture. The sun was warming and the sight was beautiful, it reminded Asriel of a small trinket lying in his pocket.

Perhaps now was the time?

“There you are!” Undyne's voice suddenly cut trough the calmness, stepping out onto the balcony “What the heck are you doing being all cuddly instead of being down in the sparring arena, huh, punk?”  
“Wha- sparring!?” Asriel asked, flustered and turned to face the new menace.  
“Bu-but Undyne, I thought sparring wasn't until tomorrow morning!?”  
“You thought wrong! That's what a lack of training will do to ya, but no, we've been invited to the Summer Solstice games, and you're in!”  
“Oh? Well, in that case- WAIT, WHAT!?” Asriel practically shouted.

“The Summer Solstice Games?” Frisk asked with calmness despite the ruckus “You mean the quadra-annual event where athletes from all over the world compete with each other?”

“That is correct” Asgore's deep but friendly voice boomed, appearing behind Undyne.  
“I got the invitation a few minutes ago. Golly, I couldn't believe my own eyes, but even more so, I can't begin to express how proud I am that my own son would ever compete in something like this” he said, wiping a small tear away from his eye.  
“Wait wait, hold up, I never said I wanted to compete!” Asriel fired off.  
“I know, but I went ahead and signed you up anyway” Undyne beamed “I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss a chance like this!”  
“Undyne...” Asriel groaned, dragging a paw along his face.  
“What did you sign him up for?” Frisk inquired.  
“Well, we don't have that many athletes in Ebott” Undyne explained “I'll be on Javelin Throwing, Papyrus's gonna do the Triathlon and you” She narrowed a piercing gaze at Asriel, who whimpered under her stare.  
“...will be in the Mixed Martial Arts discipline”  
“What!? Bu-but Master Undyne, these are the world's greatest champions! I don't stand a chance! I don't wanna die!”  
“Ah, don't worry about that. The Solstice Committee recognize we monster's aren't as durable as humans so they'll take their precautions... and you better make me proud in there, if not... it'll be a Genocide Jogging Run when you get back!”  
“Nooo! Dad! Please! Help me!” Asriel shrieked.  
“So proud... so, so proud” Asgore simply muttered, caressing a bed of flowers.  
With a defeated sigh, Asriel's arms dropped to his side and his face to the floor.

“So, 7'o'clock in the morning, sharp!” Undyne barked “We'll go all in, no magic, no weapons, no mercy. You hyped yet, punk?”  
“No!”  
“Come now, Undyne, let's give my son some time to process all of this. I'm sure he still in shock at the amazing opportunity” Asgore's broke in, putting a paw on Undyne's shoulder and gently pulling her away.  
“DINNER'S READY!” Toriel's voice suddenly called from within the house. At once, both Asgore and Undyne got a hungry look on their faces.   
“Sounds like a plan. First to the table is Jerry's friend!” Undyne exclaimed before turning and bolting for the door, shortly followed by a laughing Asgore.

Frisk and Asriel were left on the balcony deck. Asriel dejectedly turned around to face the sunset once again. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited about taking part in The Summer Solstice Games; it was an amazing opportunity to show the world what monsters could do, but why'd it have to be Mixed Martial Arts?.

“Hey, chin up” Frisk said warmly at his side “Whether you win or get beat up I'll be cheering on from the sides and you can bet your furry butt I'll be waiting with a snail-pie, bucket of peach yogurt and a big, warm hug whatever happens!”

Asriel smiled warmly. Frisk, his savior, his eternal pillar and support and the light of his life. Would it be reasonable for him to push his luck and ask her to be one more thing for him?

“Frisk...” he began, the word rolling off his tongue “There's... something I'd like to ask you” He dug a paw into his pocket, closing it around a small box.  
“Do you, golly, it feels like a lifetime ago, but do you remember our little, eh, conversation, back when I drove you home?”  
She thought for a bit, but then a smile also appeared on her lips “Sure, the one about queens and stuff?”  
“Y-yeah, exactly” He turned to face her. Even if she was physically a lot smaller than him, her head only reaching his chest, she was still a far greater person than he would ever be.  
“You see, I've been thinking... I... I love monsterkind, Frisk, and I... I want to be the best king possible, to give them the best possible future here on the surface, and I want...”

He drew in a deep breath. Doubt filled his mind, but as their eyes met and he found the love he felt for her mirrored in her own, the dark clouds inside his head parted ways to rays of hope and certainty.

“I want to give them the best queen possible” he went down on a knee and opened the box in front of him, revealing a shining gold ring emblazoned with blue gems set in a Delta Rune pattern.  
“Frisk... would you like to be my queen?” he asked.

Frisk stood unmoving for a few seconds, surprise evident on her face. But then, slowly, it gave way to joy and the biggest smile Asriel had ever seen on her. She bowed down, clasped her hands around his and muttered a single word.

A single word, yet big enough to fill Asriel's soul with the most elation he probably ever had. The future, despite all the troubles and trials it no doubts held for all of them, suddenly seemed not so bleak at all.  
  
Even if doomsday was comming, they would face it... together.

* * *

 

At the same time, in a plane of existence unfit for the living, a single soul clawed at the air. It was a motion they had repeated for... days? Months? Years? Time had little meaning in place like this, a place where the sky and earth were but a dull gray, where no wind blew and where there were neither warmth nor cold, a place that never changed... at least, it never would... until they were done.   
The soul felt the tiniest sensations of the veil between worlds sift trough their fingers with every stroke. Soon enough it would tear completely and they would be free, then they would come for... him.

Another lost soul, probably a new arrival hovered close. They could sense it's confusion, fear, and despair... as well as the all too familiar stink of humankind.  
It inched closer, no doubt about to ask where it was or how it could leave but a simple growl was enough to send it running in fear.

They deserved it. Every last filthy one of them deserved to end up in this hellhole. Even they themselves did and they could live with that, they deserved to be punished, just... they didn't want to do so alone, if just-

The tiniest of breezes, like nothing more than a wisp of hair caressed their cheek, seemingly coming out of nowhere. They smiled devilishly. They were close, they had, quite literally, all the time in the world but that wouldn't be needed. Soon, so very soon, they would get to meet him again.

And then they could finally finish the plan they had started so long ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that we have reached the end of The Price of Peace. As you can probably guess there will be will a third and final part to the overarching story, though, it'll probably be a while until then.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll hopefully see you next time in the sequel...
> 
> THE VOID WAR


End file.
